Today in 1974 the American League decided they would add the DH as a position. Of course the National League did not add the DH. Personally I love that the Al has the DH and the NL does not. In the World Series you get to see the different styles of play. The NL plays will a small ball style and the AL is more notorious for the big boppers. The DH has extended the careers of older players and helped the careers of some weaker fielders who can still hit. I love the idea of two different styles of baseball , the DH position has done this. The DH is a position and it should be recognized as one. The DH has made David Ortiz a star and has extended the career of hitters like Hall of Famers Frank Thomas and Paul Molitor. It has also extended the careers of Jim Thome , Hideki Matsui , Vladimir Guerrero , and Jason Giambi. All of these players have made an impact for there teams by just DHing.
On the anniversary of the DH I want to make the case for why Edgar Martinez is a Hall of Famer. I understand he was a DH but I don't care. I think a player contributes more to his team by being a DH instead of a poor fielder. If Martinez played the field he would have effected his team in a negative way. Why would we hold this against him? In a 18 year career Martinez hit 312. He made 7 All Star teams and hit 514 doubles. The biggest one was the winner of the ALDS in 1995 , it essentially saved baseball in Seattle. Martinez has career OPS of 933. He was an offensive force and many pitchers say he was the hardest guy to get out. Edgar Martinez was 10 for 16 with 2 homers and 6 RBI in his career against Mariano Rivera.
By Peter Vitella
@Realpete13
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