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Old 10-29-2004, 10:04 AM   #29 (permalink)
aerozeppelin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boom29
It might be the case that NL teams can adapt easier to AL rules than the other way around, but the AL teams have a bigger advantage overall. No NL team has the luxury to keep an extra (good) batter on their bench just for the chance that he might become the DH in a World Series. The guys that end up DHing are for the most part not great hitters and don't have a lot of power. Granted, they might put their best hitter at DH and put the better defender on the field, but that doesn't change the fact that the substituted player is an a bench guy. The big advantage for the AL comes from the fact that the gap between the DHs (for AL and NL) is greater than the gap for the two pitchers. While the AL teams might have a slight dropoff in their offensive production, NL teams do not gain much in theirs.

I'm not sure if my explanation will come through clear, but I'm willing to clarify if needed.
That is sometimes true, but a good many AL teams don't have a very good DH - not significantly better than a quality pinch hitter anyways. Obviously, that isn't/wasn't true with the Sox, but not all AL teams have a David Ortiz. Hitting wise, I agree that the AL has a bigger advantage from the DH differential than the NL gets from the pitcher differential.

With that said, going to a NL ballpark can really screw with an AL team's lineup - taking a bat out, putting a hole in, and most likely many other changes. That's why I think the NL has a bigger overall homefield advantage compared to the AL - far less changes to make.
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