Baseball Autograph Of The Week: Ron Blomberg

Autograph Of The Week: Ron Blomberg

On April 6, 1973, at 1:53 p.m. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees came to the plate versus Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox. His position on the lineup card was listed as DH making him (due to the time of the day) the first designated hitter in American League history.

Whether you agree or disagree with the decision to institute the designated hitter position, Ron Blomberg's place in baseball history is guaranteed and Baseball Almanac is pleased to include him in our collection of autographs of the week.

"When Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees stepped into the batters box on April 6, 1973, the baseball world entered one of its darkest eras. He was the first designated hitter. The idea of a DH, unique to the American League, was to provide more offense. But now, with smaller parks, a tighter strike zone and stronger players, offense is up. As Bob Costas said in his book, Fair Ball, the DH is a solution for a problem that no longer exists." - The Arizona Daily Star (04-23-2000)

Ron Blomberg Autograph

Card
1988 Topps

Card Number
663

Pen
Black Ballpoint

Notes
1973 Topps picture on front.

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Read the entire details of Ron Blomberg's historic game today. How? Baseball Almanac has put the entire box score online for you to review, enjoy, and learn from!

What are your thoughts about the designated hitter rule? Should it be abolished? Should it be adopted by the National League? Share your opinion on our baseball message boards!

Designated hitter trivia alert: 1. Al Kaline was the first player who was a DH inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 2. Edgar Martinez batted .356 in 1995 and became the first full time DH to win a batting title. 3. One week after the DH was approved, Orlando Cepeda became the first player signed for the sole purpose of playing the designated hitter position. 4. First home run by a designated hitter took place on April 6, 1973 and was hit by Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins.

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