Missouri HCR 84: Urges Major League Baseball to not expand the designated hitter rule to the National League.

Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 84
100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE MURPHY.
5299H.01I DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
WHEREAS, baseball has a rich history in America and is colloquially known as
2 "America's pastime"; and
3
4 WHEREAS, Missouri has a long and storied role in the history of American baseball,
5 including:
6 (1) Hosting a professional baseball club dating back to 1875, the St. Louis Brown
7 Stockings, which became a founding member of the National League in 1876;
8 (2) Having another team join the National League in 1892, the St. Louis Browns, who
9 changed their name to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1900;
10 (3) Receiving the transfer of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1902, who were founding
11 members of the America League, changed their name to the St. Louis Browns, played in St.
12 Louis for fifty-two years, and transferred to become the Baltimore Orioles in 1954;
13 (4) Hosting the Kansas City Monarchs, who played in the Negro Leagues, from 1920
14 until their disbandment in 1965;
15 (5) Hosting the Athletics in Kansas City after their transfer from Philadelphia in 1955
16 and before their transfer to Oakland in 1968;
17 (6) Hosting the American League Kansas City Royals since their creation in 1969;
18 (7) Being home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City; and
19 (8) Being home to teams that won a collective total of thirteen World Series
20 championships; and
21
22 WHEREAS, the designated hitter rule allows a team to have one player bat in place of
23 its pitcher; and

HCR 84 2
24 WHEREAS, the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973; and
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26 WHEREAS, the American League played for seven decades without the designated
27 hitter rule; and
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29 WHEREAS, the National League, including the St. Louis Cardinals, has never adopted
30 the designated hitter rule and continues to play with pitchers batting for themselves; and
31
32 WHEREAS, the designated hitter rule allows pitchers to hide weak batting ability and
33 allows the designated hitter to hide poor fielding performance; and
34
35 WHEREAS, having a pitcher bat for himself requires managers to decide how best to
36 use the players on their roster and adds another layer of strategy to the game; and
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38 WHEREAS, the designated hitter rule fundamentally changes the true American
39 tradition of baseball; and
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41 WHEREAS, baseball fans of Missouri and especially St. Louis would like to remain
42 committed to baseball in its traditional form:
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44 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of
45 Representatives of the One Hundredth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate
46 concurring therein, hereby urge Major League Baseball to not expand the designated hitter rule
47 to the National League; and
48
49 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of
50 Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for
51 Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred.
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