HOUSTON — This was the year baseball finally told the pitchers to throw away their bats for good. The designated hitter, beloved by some and reviled by others, would be the law of the land in all the major league lands.
Fans delight in second-guessing the manager, and now much of that simple pleasure would be gone. No more arguing whether the manager should have batted for the pitcher. No more debating the double switch.
In this year of diminished strategy, Game 1 of the World Series blessed us thrice: one, with an unexpected and entertaining festival of second-guessing; two, with the tension of extra innings; and, three, with the destruction of the notion that the Houston Astros are inevitable and invincible.
