Ron Blomberg Becomes Baseball's First Designated Hitter

On April 6, 1973, at Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees walked to the plate in the first inning with the bases loaded and became the first designated hitter in major league history. Boston's Luis Tiant missed the strike zone four times. Blomberg walked, forcing in a run.

The designated hitter rule had been approved by the owners just three months earlier, on January 11, 1973, as a three-year experiment intended to boost American League offense and attendance. The National League declined to adopt it. That split would persist for nearly fifty years, until both leagues adopted the DH in 2022.

Blomberg had not expected to make history that afternoon. He was a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing and bad knees, and manager Ralph Houk had penciled him in as the DH simply because the matchup against Tiant favored him. Blomberg finished the game 1-for-3 with a single and a walk, but the Yankees lost 15-5 in a rout.

The bat Blomberg used that day went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was amused by the attention, given that his contribution to the historic at-bat was standing still while Tiant missed the strike zone.

Blomberg hit .329 that season in 100 games, splitting time between first base and the DH spot. Injuries shortened his career to just eight seasons, but his place in the record books was secured on the first pitch of that first plate appearance.

The designated hitter is now a permanent fixture in both leagues. It all started with a walk.