Pitching is a specialized skill, particularly in the collegiate and
professional ranks; so most pitchers are relatively poor hitters, or,
those who were skilled batsmen are simply unable to adequately hone
their hitting skills to be comparable to everyday position players. As a
result, unless keeping a given pitcher in the game is a higher priority
than the prospect of immediate offense, it is common to substitute for a
pitcher when he is due to bat. This pinch hitter is typically then
replaced by a relief pitcher when the team returns to the field on
defense.
A more complicated tactic is the double switch, in which a pitching change is accompanied by the simultaneous replacement of another fielder. If the pitcher is due to bat soon, and the outgoing fielder batted recently, the new pitcher will take the outgoing fielder's place in the batting order, thus delaying his next time at bat. A common variation on this involves the introduction of a player who has just pinch hit (or pinch run for the pinch hitter) into the defensive alignment; unless this player becomes his team's next pitcher, another field player departs the game, and the new pitcher then assumes that player's place in the batting order.
Many leagues allow designated hitters, notably Major League Baseball's American League (which instituted the DH in 1973 to boost offensive output). A designated hitter (or DH) is a player whose sole purpose is to hit when it would normally be the pitcher's turn (or, in some leagues, if the pitcher is a good batter, another weaker batter). This is not considered a substitution, but rather a position, albeit a purely offensive one. A designated hitter does not play in the field on defense and may remain in the game regardless of changes in pitchers. If the designated hitter is moved to a fielding position, the team loses the DH, and the fielder whose position was taken by the former DH is replaced by the pitcher, who assumes that player's position in the hitting lineup.
The use of the designated hitter, which reduces the need for complicated strategy such as the double-switch, is opposed by many baseball traditionalists. Nevertheless, it is used today at most levels of baseball in the United States and abroad. Major League Baseball's National League is the most prominent league that still requires pitchers to bat.
A more complicated tactic is the double switch, in which a pitching change is accompanied by the simultaneous replacement of another fielder. If the pitcher is due to bat soon, and the outgoing fielder batted recently, the new pitcher will take the outgoing fielder's place in the batting order, thus delaying his next time at bat. A common variation on this involves the introduction of a player who has just pinch hit (or pinch run for the pinch hitter) into the defensive alignment; unless this player becomes his team's next pitcher, another field player departs the game, and the new pitcher then assumes that player's place in the batting order.
Many leagues allow designated hitters, notably Major League Baseball's American League (which instituted the DH in 1973 to boost offensive output). A designated hitter (or DH) is a player whose sole purpose is to hit when it would normally be the pitcher's turn (or, in some leagues, if the pitcher is a good batter, another weaker batter). This is not considered a substitution, but rather a position, albeit a purely offensive one. A designated hitter does not play in the field on defense and may remain in the game regardless of changes in pitchers. If the designated hitter is moved to a fielding position, the team loses the DH, and the fielder whose position was taken by the former DH is replaced by the pitcher, who assumes that player's position in the hitting lineup.
The use of the designated hitter, which reduces the need for complicated strategy such as the double-switch, is opposed by many baseball traditionalists. Nevertheless, it is used today at most levels of baseball in the United States and abroad. Major League Baseball's National League is the most prominent league that still requires pitchers to bat.