What is the difference between designated hitter and pinch hitter

Supporters applaud the offensive boost it provides the game while critics lament the sport departing from its traditional roots of pitching, strong defense, and all nine fielders batting.

Yes, a player who is in the lineup as the DH can be moved to the field, but not as the DH. If a manager wants to replace, for example, his first baseman and slide his DH to first base, the DH then becomes the first baseman, the team forfeits their DH spot for the game, and subsequently, the pitcher must bat.

Because moving the player in the DH spot to defense results in the loss of the DH spot for the game, this is almost never used by managers. A pinch hitter is someone who comes off the bench during the game and substitute hits for a player already in the lineup.

Nobody gets penciled into the lineup pre-game as a pinch hitter like they do for designated hitter. Yes — If a pinch hitter remains in the game after pinch hitting, they are eligible to bat as many times as needed until the conclusion of the game or until they are removed from the game. No — If a pinch hitter hits for a player in the lineup, he cannot then again pinch hit for a different player later in the game.

Once you are replaced, you return to the bench and cannot enter that game again. Once the player pinch hits for the left fielder, the pinch hitter now is officially in the lineup. He assumes that specific spot in the lineup until he is replaced or until the game ends. If the manager wants to pinch hit for the catcher in the 7th, he has the right to do so, just not with the player he used to pinch hit for the left fielder in the 5th inning.

The manager would have to choose another bench player who has not yet officially entered the game to pinch hit for the catcher. A manager can elect to pinch hit for any player at any point in the game as long as he has bench players that have not yet officially entered the game.

Not necessarily. They do if they remain in the game unless they pinch hit for the designated hitter, who does not have an on-field position. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees was the first player to bat as a designated hitter.

Hal McRae was the first player to spend most of his career as a DH; other all-time leaders at the position include Edgar Martinez , Harold Baines and David Ortiz , who is now the career leader for hits, home runs and RBIs at the position.

The DH was first used in the American Association in Usage in the minors changed over time - originally, individual organizations had some say in whether their teams used the DH or not.

For a while, the Cincinnati Reds were adamant about having their pitchers bat for all their minor league affiliates. At other points a team would have their pitcher bat while their opponent used a DH. In class A or lower games, the DH is always used. In , the independent Atlantic League was asked by MLB to test a new version of the rule, in which the designated hitter would be removed as soon as the starting pitcher left the game.

The objective would be to encourage teams to use their starting pitchers deeper into games, and also to cut down on the use of openers , while injecting some additional strategy late in games.

In , the minor league Eastern League and Western League used it, but Central League farm clubs are allowed to opt out. The DH listed in the starting line-up must bat at least once before being substituted, unless there is an injury or the opposite team's starting pitcher has been changed. This rule was added after the season to close a loophole discovered by Orioles manager Earl Weaver : he would list one of his inactive starting pitchers in the starting line-up as a phantom DH , and then, when his first time to bat came up, Weaver could decide which of a number of players to use as a pinch hitter for his DH, depending on the situation for example if there were men on base, if he needed a baserunner, etc.

Pitchers Steve Stone and Dennis Martinez were used most often in this capacity. Boxscores from that time would list the pitchers as having played a game at DH, but after the amendment to the rule was adopted, these "appearances" were erased from these pitchers' records. Asked by: Scarlett Emmerich. What is a clean up hitter in baseball? Is a pinch hitter a good thing?

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