How to lose DH privilege?
1. Go to a NL park (not including Miller Park where out-of-town games often are made up)
2. Opt to bat your starter
etc...no tricks here or anything obvious. Some people don't know the answer, as I found out through a great baseball SIM, of all places (it allowed me to do it).
So, what commonly used strategy would cause a manager to forfeit his DH privilege?
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Another way to lose the DH in a AL park is moving the DH into the field. Say you have 4 outfielders on your team. You start 3 in the outfield and 1 as DH. If your centerfielder gets injured and has to come out of the game, you move your DH into centerfield. You lose the DH by doing this, and your pitcher will have to bat in the injured centerfielder's vacated spot in the lineup.
You do not lose the DH privilege by going to a National League park. I wish people would understand that the two leagues are quite literally DIFFERENT LEAGUES that play a similar sport under different rules. To claim that the DH is "lost" in a National League game is as ridiculous as saying that you can't shoot free throws in football.
In fact, the Official Baseball Rules are clear on this subject and there is no room for misinterpretation.
Rule 6.10 starts off by saying that "Any League may elect to use the Designated Hitter Rule." The American League elects to use it and the National League does not. End of story.
The OBR goes on to list a number of ways that the Designated Hitter can be lost (provided the game is in a League that uses the Rule).
Parts of Rule 6.10(b) state that:
"...It is not mandatory that a club designate a hitter for the pitcher, but failure to do so prior to the game precludes the use of a Designated Hitter for that game..."
"...The Designated Hitter may be used defensively, continuing to bat in the same position in the batting order, but the pitcher must then bat in the place of the substituted defensive player, unless more than one substitution is made, and the manager then must designate their spots in the batting order..."
"...Once the game pitcher is switched from the mound to a defensive position this move shall terminate the Designated Hitter role for the remainder of the game..."
"...Once a pinch hitter bats for any player in the batting order and then enters the game to pitch, this move shall terminate the Designated Hitter role for the remainder of the game..."
"...Once the game pitcher bats for the Designated Hitter this move shall terminate the Designated Hitter role for the remainder of the game. (The game pitcher may only pinch-hit for the Designated Hitter.)..."
"...Once a Designated Hitter assumes a defensive position this move shall terminate the Designated Hitter role for the remainder of the game. A substitute for the Designated Hitter need not be announced until it is the Designated Hitter’s turn to bat..."
I have provided a link to the entire Rule below.
There are three ways.
(1) If a DH is not listed on the starting lineup.
(2) If the DH takes a defensive position.
(3) If the defensive player goes on offense (i.e. bats, pinch runs).
Sarge