Watch “Behind the Seams: Decoding the DH” on MLB Network
The 40-year history of baseball’s designated hitter is examined in Behind the Seams: Decoding the DH, a one-hour show narrated by Bob Costas and produced for MLB Network by MLB Productions, premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday, November 25, 2013.
The ratification of the DH in 1973, more than eight decades after it was first proposed within baseball in 1891, became one of the most pivotal changes to shape the game, and to this day it fuels debates between those who oppose it and those who embrace it. In looking at the position’s origins and those who rose to prominence or extended their playing careers because of the position, Behind the Seams: Decoding the DH features 25 new interviews with Hall of Famers, writers and historians as well as current and former DHs, including Harold Baines, Billy Butler, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz, Frank Thomas and Jim Thome, among others.
SABR members Sean Forman of Baseball-Reference.com, Rob Neyer of SB Nation, Bill Petti of FanGraphs and MLB’s official historian, John Thorn, also analyze the statistical impact the DH has had on run scoring in the American League and National League.
For more information on Behind the Seams: Decoding the DH, as well as future viewings for the program, visit MLBNetwork.com.
Originally published: November 25, 2013. Last Updated: November 25, 2013.