Royals manager Ned Yost would be in favor of using designated hitter in all World Series games
When Royals manager Ned Yost sent pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales to the plate in the top of the fifth inning on Saturday night, it seemed, at first glance, like a questionable allocation of resources. There was a lone runner at first base, two outs, and the Royals trailed by a run.
The Royals, in essence, were burning their best bat on the bench in a situation where a single would not score a run, and when Morales roped a single up the middle and Alex Gordon halted at second base, that exact scenario played out. One batter later, Alcides Escobar flied out to right and the Royals stranded two runners, a pivotal early moment in the Royals’ eventual 5-3 victory in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night at Citi Field.
In the end, the usage of Morales did not factor into the final score. But the moment illustrated the difficulties of taking an American League roster into a National League park, where the pitchers bat and the Royals are stripped of Morales, their full-time designated hitter and one of their best offensive weapons.
The differences in league styles are so stark, Royals manager Ned Yost said, that he would be in favor of using the designated hitter in all World Series games.
“I actually like the fact that (in) the National League, the pitchers hit,” Yost said Saturday afternoon, in the hours before Game 4. “But I think that American League teams aren’t built for the National League game because we do have a DH.”
At the moment, of course, Yost may not be the most impartial voice in this debate. A year ago, the Royals went 1-2 in three World Series games in San Francisco, playing without the services of designated hitter Billy Butler. This year, they were forced to enter Citi Field with the switch-hitting Morales confined to the bench.
In recent years, as interleague play has become a staple, a vocal chorus has advocated for the National League to adopt the designated hitter and make baseball’s rules more uniform. In Yost’s view, that’s not the answer. But as his American League roster competes in the World Series for the second straight year, he would like baseball to reconsider its current World Series rules.
“Some people say, ‘Make it all DH,’ ” Yost said. “I don’t really believe that. I think if a National League team is playing a National League team, you should play National League rules. But I wouldn’t mind seeing, in all interleague games, there being the DH. That’s my personal opinion.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Royals manager Ned Yost would be in favor of using designated hitter in all World Series games."