ATLANTA — The Braves and Astros matchup in Atlanta Sunday could mark the end of an era in Major League Baseball, and it's one that has some fans fiercely divided.
Since the founding of the National League in 1876, the pitchers have had to pick up the bat and hit for themselves when their turn in the lineup came around. That could be coming to an end.
With the collective bargaining agreement between the players' union and owners set to expire this offseason, a new deal could mean new rules next season. One of the rules expected to come to the National League next season is the designated hitter rule.
The DH was adopted by the American League in 1973 for a three-year trial but has been in place ever since. The move was an effort to boost offensive output in the American League, and it worked. In every year since the rule was put in place, the American League has posted a higher batting average than the National League.
The DH nearly came to the NL in 1980, but the rule was narrowly voted down.
The Braves were one of the four teams to vote yes. Two of the expected "yes" votes needed to adopt the rule were missed due to a last-minute change and one of the owners being unreachable while on a fishing trip. Many thought the rule would pass the next time it was brought up, but that never happened.
Although Major League Baseball put in a universal DH during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the NL rules returned to normal for the 2020 postseason and all of 2021.
Now, with the last NL home game of the season happening at Truist Park, the hitting pitcher might become an endangered species. The exception to the rule to live on would be players like Shohei Ohtani, a once-in-a-generation slugger who also happens to throw 100 mph.
And if this is the last World Series before the DH takes over, write down the name Zack Greinke.
With a pinch hit single in Game 5, he might be the answer to a future trivia question.