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Sorry Purists, Writing Is on the Wall for NL to Implement the DH

Tom Olmscheid/Associated Press

The designated hitter is coming to the National League. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.

I say that as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the National League. I say that as someone who loves watching pitchers such as Madison Bumgarner and Bartolo Colon take their hacks.

If you put on a glove, you should pick up a bat. Right?

Maybe. But the designated hitter upholds another fundamental baseball truism: We want to watch hitters hit and pitchers pitch.

Sure, there are novelty exceptions such as Bumgarner and Colon.