Interleague Play Wins High Praise In Most Quarters
In less than a year, National League managers will have to find designated hitters for up to 5.5 percent of their games. That doesn’t bother Cincinnati Reds manager Ray Knight.
“I know purists say, ‘Leave it the way it is.’ But, hey, we went away from the way it was when there were eight-team leagues,” Knight told The Cincinnati Enquirer. “We miss a lot by not seeing a Ken Griffey.”
When owners unanimously approved interleague play for 1997 in a vote Thursday, they said the deal was subject to approval by the players’ association. N.L. president Len Coleman and A.L. president Gene Budig said it’s likely the DH will be used in A.L. ballparks during the interleague games in ‘97.
Owners also have to talk to umpires about how to implement the plan, which calls for each team to play 15 or 16 interleague games.
The leagues could leave umpire crews intact, letting N.L. tandems work games in N.L. parks and A.L. crews in A.L. parks. Splitting crews could result in logistical problems, although it would ensure that teams would have at least two umpires they’re familiar with during every series.
Many players said they were excited about the advent of interleague play.
“Me, personally, I’ve really never had a chance to play against a Ken Griffey or a Frank Thomas,” Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve never faced Roger Clemens. I never got to face Nolan Ryan. So unless you got to play against those guys in a spring-training game - which isn’t the same - you didn’t really get to play against the best players in the game. Now you do, and I like that part.”
Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, influential in the players’ association during strike talks, said he didn’t foresee difficulty in striking an interleague play deal between players and owners.
“I can’t see us being against anything that would create more interest in our game,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “We might have a disagreement with owners about mechanics and implementation, but overall, if interleague play is better for baseball, do it.”