To DH or Not to DH

Consider the alternative. Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images 1980 was the last time the National League officially voted on whether or not to implement the designated hitter, as the American League had done seven years prior. According to an interesting article on MLB.com from last January, then-Pirates owner John Galbreath instructed GM Harding Peterson to vote as the Phillies voted. The Phillies’ owner, Ruly Carpenter, told his vice-president Bill Giles to vote for the DH. Carpenter then went on a fishing trip, thinking everything was in the bag. However, it was announced that the rule wouldn’t be implemented until the 1982 season. The Phillies were voting yes because they had some heavy hitters that weren’t that great in the field. Giles was unsure if the new information might change Carpenter’s view, so he abstained from the vote. Therefore, so did Peterson. It was a majority vote, and the final vote was five for the DH, four against, and three abstentions.

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