What are the differences between American and national leagues?

American and National League are part of the Major League baseball (MLB), the highest level of professional baseball in North America. There are two main differences between leagues: different teams play in each league and the American League (AL) allows teams to use the designated Hitter (DH). The use of DH in the American league also leads to greater scoring and generally higher offensive statistics than in the National League (NL).

Since 1960, the number of main league teams increased from 16 to 30, because the expansion teams were added six times. The number of teams in each league varied because the teams were added and were not always the same. From 1998 to 2012, for example, 14 teams of the American league and 16 teams of the National League were. In 2013, however, Houston Astros planned to move from NL to Al, giving each league 15 teams and for the first time since 1997 he made the same size.

One of the reasons why the leagues often had uneven number of teams is that the AL and NL teams have never been played in non-expansion games for many yearsThey are reached by the main league championship. This meant that each league always needed an even number of teams, so there would be no idle team every day. In 1997, Interleague games began to take place in a regular season, eliminating the need to have a even number of teams in both leagues.

liga composition

AL and NL have teams throughout the United States and are divided into eastern, middle and western divisions. Al also has one team based in Canada, Toronto Blue Jays. Once the teams were added and moved to different cities, the number and composition of the leagues was modified. For metropolitan areas that have two teams, drought such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles/Anaheim, teams were traditionally in opposite leagues.

Designed rule of Hitter

In 1973, the American league added a rule that allows the team to use the designated Hitter, a player who does not play defense in the field, but instead takes the place of a barbling. This rule has been accepted to add another offense to the game because the pitcherNY is usually one of the worst hitters of teams - they are appreciated for their skills like jugs, not Hitters. As a result, DH teams have more running teams on an average of more runs for higher launches and hit more home runs than NL teams, although this is not always true for each team.

strategy

The absence of DH in the National League results in slightly different strategies in the NL. For example, NL managers often use Pinch-Hitters to a jug bat in games. When this happens, the pitcher must also be paid if and when this team returns to play defense. He will stay in the game many times to play a defensive position, and the new pitcher replaces another player in the ranking of the launch; This is called a double switch. Another effect of not using the designated Hitters in the National League is that NL teams often maintain more non -six on their lists than teams A, because NL teams sometimes have to use more pinch hitters for a pitcher bat, rather than using only one DH.

Interleague plays

During the Interleague and World Series, whether DH is used, it depends on which team is a home team. When the American League team is a home team, DH is used by both teams. If the National League team is a home team, then no team can use DH. There is some debate on whether the AL or NL teams have the advantage in the Interleague game, while some people say that the jugs of the American league are at a disadvantage when the procedure is Bat because they are not used to it and rarely practice it. Other people say that AL teams have an advantage because they employ regularly designated Hitters, who are usually one of the best hitters of their teams, and NL teams usually have to use backup players as their designated Hitters when the DH rule is in force. During the first 15 years of Interleague, Al teams won a little more often - about 52 percent of the time.