Well, the American League voted in the DH in 1973 and I don’t want to hear a whimper about how the biggest difference between the Yankees and Phillies in the World Series was the presence of DH Hideki Matsui. The Japanese slugger was the Series MVP despite starting just three of the six games – and driving in seven runs in Games 2 and 6, both played at Yankee Stadium.

Nope, just zip it up because the Phillies are to blame for the National League voting it down at that same meeting. Bill Giles was the Phillies’ representative. With 12 clubs in each league, it took eight votes to pass a rules change. Phils owner Ruly Carpenter favored the DH. Pirates owner John Galbraith instructed GM Joe Brown to vote with the Phillies. Before the teams were polled, Giles attempted to contact his boss for formal approval.

Ruly was on a fishing trip. He couldn’t be reached. Giles had no choice but to abstain. The Pirates followed suit. The 6-4-2 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority.

Nice. That’s why ya just can’t take a vacation sometimes. You might end up unbalancing some baseball leagues.