I want to apologize to those of you seeking an abundance of stats, statistics and the like on this subject matter.... Unfortunately my research team is just little-ole' me at this time and I am not able to go in depth and spend countless hours researching the effects the Designated Hitter has had on baseball, nor am I able to publish a load of statistics at this time for the all the designated hitter's in Major League Baseball history....
4-06-1973 - Ron Blomberg
of the New York Yankees is 1st official Designated Hitter in ML
history.
(A day that lives in infamy for baseball
traditionalists everywhere.... or was it the first at-bat for the
re-birth of baseball?)
The following facts and
figures were pulled from http://www.ohio.com/bj/sports/indians/docs/000839 I am not
aware of the accuracy of this page... Please be advised.
--- Designated Quick Hitters ---
THE FIRST DH CONCEPT (--) It was the National League, not the American League, that first proposed using a DH. National League president John Heydler advocated the rule change at the annual major-league meeting in Chicago on Dec. 1, 1928. The NL owners approved the rule, but the AL rejected it.
THE FIRST DH (--) Orlando Cepeda was the first player acquired as a designated hitter. The Boston Red Sox signed the former NL MVP on Jan. 18, 1973, one week after the DH was approved as a three-year experiment.
THE FIRST DH TO BAT (Exhibition) (--) The first DH at-bat was that of Larry Hisle of the Minnesota Twins, during the Twins first exhibition game of 1973. ( For everyone's reference, the article where this fact was stated can be found HERE )
FIRST ON THE FIELD (--) New York Yankees slugger Ron Blomberg, a lefty, walked against Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox with the bases loaded in the top of the first inning on April 6, 1973, to become the first designated hitter to bat, reach base and drive in a run. Blomberg later added a single.
ROSTER OF FIRSTS (--) Besides Blomberg and Cepeda, the first players to be DHs on other teams were: Terry Crowley (Orioles); Tom McCraw (Angels); Mike Andrews (White Sox); John Ellis (Indians); Gates Brown (Tigers); Ed Kirkpatrick (Royals); Ollie Brown (Brewers); Tony Oliva (Twins); Billy North (Athletics); Dave Collins (Mariners, when they joined the AL in 1977); Rico Carty (Rangers); Otto Velez (Blue Jays, when they joined the AL in 1977).
FIRST HOME RUN (--) Minnesota Twins designated hitter Tony Oliva hit a first-inning pitch off Oakland ace Catfish Hunter for a two-run homer at Oakland Coliseum on April 6, 1973.
THE FIRST NL DH (--) Dan Driessen of the Cincinnati Reds became the first designated hitter from a National League team in Game 1 of the 1976 World Series. Driessen flied out in the second inning to achieve the milestone.
FIRST DH WITH A WORLD SERIES HOMER (--) Driessen hit a home run in the Reds' 6-2 win in Game 3 of their four-game sweep of the Yankees in 1976. Ironically, the Reds had taken the Commissioner's Office to court earlier in the year in an attempt to block a new rule that allowed the usage of a DH in the World Series in alternate years. A judge ruled against the Reds. Driessen hit .357 while the Yankees' two DHs ( Carlos May and Lou Piniella ) hit a combined .200.
OLDEST DH (--) Former Indians outfielder Orestes ``Minnie'' Minoso served as a designated hitter for the White Sox during the 1976 season as a spry 53-year-old. Minoso appeared in three games as a DH and recorded one hit in eight at-bats. Four years later the ageless wonder went hitless in two at-bats as a pinch hitter in his record-setting fifth decade of play.
BIGGEST (TALLEST) DH (--) Former Ohio State All-America basketball player Frank Howard served as a DH for 76 games in the 1973 season for the Tigers. After hitting 12 homers and .256, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Howard was released and retired.
ONLY DH TO WIN A BATTING TITLE (--) Edgar Martinez won the 1992 AL batting crown as a third baseman, but three years later a series of injuries forced him into the role of DH. Martinez was the Mariners' DH in 138 games and led the AL in 1995 with a .356 average.
FIRST DH INDUCTED TO THE HALL OF FAME (--) AL Kaline, Detroit
Tigers. In 1974 Kaline needed 139
hits to reach 3,000 and became a full-time DH. He got his 3,000th, doubling off
Dave McNally, and retired with 3,007. In 1980, Kaline was elected to the
Baseball Hall Of Fame in his first year of Eligibility. (Stat
Submitted by Jeff Blatt, thanks Jeff!)
ONLY DH TO WIN A GOLD GLOVE (--) Rafael Palmiero won the 1999 AL Gold
Glove for First Base, despite playing only 28 games at that position.
Compiled by Bill Lilley for Ohio.com , with inserted
information submitted by Abolish the Designated Hitter readers.
Blake Redabaugh went out and did his own report on the Designated Hitter for his
Senior Project in school. A study of four major offensive categories and
the effects the DH has had on them. Blake was nice enough to send me the
report and gave me permission to use it here on the site. Take a look
-
Look at the Effects of the Designated Hitter by Blake Redabaugh
If you are aware of other
significant facts in the history of the DH, please
drop me a line and I will check and add any new data (researcher
will get credit)