Bud Black on the universal designated hitter: “This might be a good thing really in the long run.”
ESPN’s Marly Rivera writes this piece featuring quotes from all 15 National League managers. Black speaks on his own playing career as a pitcher, as well as his traditionalist views. “I grew to love the four years I was with the Giants [as a player], just the strategy that managers and coaches have to work through.”
Managing a big league pitching staff comes with challenges when games are frequent and rest can be limited. That difficulty is only furthered when a pinch hit opportunity could be ruled more valuable than another inning from a starting pitcher.