Yu Darvish is entering his fifth consecutive year in the National League after he was traded to the San Diego Padres this offseason, which means he will once again have to bat. It does not sound like the veteran pitcher is looking forward to that.
Major League Baseball made the designated hitter universal last season, but the National League will go back to having no DH in 2021. Darvish, like many others, would have preferred to keep the DH. He’s now proposing a new rule that would allow older pitchers like himself to opt out of having to hit.
Yu Darvish said he wishes there were a rule that allowed pitchers over the age of 34 to decide whether they want to hit for themselves or not. He said he came up with the idea before bed. Personally, he would like to watch someone else hit.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 18, 2021
We doubt that’s going to happen, Yu.
Darvish, of course, is known for having a tremendous sense of humor. We saw that with the joke he cracked about the zip on his fastball prior to last season.
MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to to keep seven-inning doubleheaders and runners on second base to start extra innings this season, but the DH will not remain in the National League. Baseball purists are pleased about that, but Darvish is clearly not an old school guy.
