[Ads-l] Major Antedating of "Designated Hitter"

[Shapiro, Fred]

It is striking how long the concept of a "designated hitter" in baseball was around before being adopted.

designated hitter (OED 1961)

1940 Wichita Sunday Eagle 29 Dec. 10/5 (Newspapers.com)

Let each pitcher have a designated hitter who can stay in the game for the full length, or be taken out just like any other player.

Fred Shapiro

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org