Ryu may no longer have chances of homerun at National League

Ryu Hyun-jin, a left hander of the Toronto Blue Jay, had hit a solo home run on Sept. 23, 2019, while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a match with Colorado at the fifth inning. It was his first home run after making his debut as a professional player. 　

Unfortunately, such opportunities may no longer be open to Ryu, as the National League, which had allowed pitchers to bat, unlike the American League, is taking measures to adopt a designated hitter program starting from next year’s season.

Local media on Monday reported that the Major League Office, Players’ Association and baseball clubs are hoping to adopt the designated hitter rule on the National League. The MLB Corporate office will negotiate with the Players’ Association in December to specify implementation of the designated hitter program starting next season. “The fifth round of the World Series between Houston and Atlanta on Nov. 1 might have been the last game where the pitcher was at bat,” reported The Associated Press. 　

More recently, starting pitchers that bat in the ninth order at the National League have been known as “rest time” for their low performance. CBS Sports reported that the three strike out rate for pitchers this year reached 44.2%. Once the designated hitter rule is adopted, there would be no pitchers batting, with exceptions for two-way players like Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angels).


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com