On Sunday, MLB finished up the interleague portion of the schedule for 2012, and it was the end of interleague play as we know it. In 2013, the Houston Astros will move to the American League, which will give each league 15 teams and also give us interleague play all season long.

This development is positive in that it will give us six divisions with five teams apiece, but it poses its own set of problems. Chief among them is the designated hitter rule. With so many interleague games, having two sets of rules complicates matters for a game struggling to remain simple and fan friendly.

Let’s be clear: It is time for baseball to get both of its leagues synchronized with the same rule, whether that’s with or without the designated hitter rule.

Since abolishing the DH would never get approved by the MLB Players' Association, the game has no choice but to embrace the DH -- from the major leagues down through the all levels of the minor leagues.

Before baseball purists vehemently disagree with me, understand I was the general manager of two National League teams and spent over two decades in the league. However, as much as I prefer NL rules and believe the NL game is better baseball, if I were still a general manager, I would vote to use the designated hitter rule in both leagues.

During his tenure, Commissioner Bud Selig has done a terrific job in moving the game forward and it's likely that he will one day be recognized in the Hall of Fame for his historic stewardship of the game. Just rattle off some of his accomplishments: Interleague play, expansion, instant replay, new ball parks in almost every city, a drug testing program that is arguably the best in sports, a powerful Internet presence, blockbuster radio/television deals and a collective bargaining agreement that has restored parity back to baseball. Selig has never rested on his laurels, and I don’t expect him to now. He’s not done.

Having two sets of rules unfairly puts teams at a real disadvantage depending if their game is at home or on the road. To alleviate this, baseball must synchronize both leagues with one rule -- either using the DH or abolishing it. And though eliminating the DH might be the baseball purists’ desire, the fact is installing in both leagues is the easier and more practical option.

Obstacles to one rule

I can’t count how many times when I was a GM for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals that we voted or were polled on the DH rule during the GM meetings. When the voting and/or polls were completed, it was always 16 to 14 or 15 to 15. After several years of the same results, I realized that the industry will never get 30 teams, general managers, managers or owners to agree on which way the sport should go.

But the debate -- the voting, the polling -- should never have been about DH or no DH. It should be about going to one rule, period. When I ask managers and players today which way they’d want to go everyone agrees that baseball should adopt one or the other. But which one?

Over the past couple of weeks, Jim Leyland, Joe Maddon and T Ron Washington all told me that they want to see one rule. While both Washington and Maddon told me that they prefer the NL rules, the fact is all three see the importance of any one rule far more critical of a decision than which rule is adopted.

Why the DH?

For several reasons abolishing the DH rule is clearly more difficult (if not impossible) than adopting it industry wide. Because of this, to me, it only makes sense to adopt the DH across both leagues.

Certainly having pitchers hit adds many more levels of strategy. I enjoy the managerial decisions that must be made every night, even if it’s simply pinch-hitting for a pitcher in a 2-2 game in the 8th inning, or a manager deciding to double-switch depending on how the lineup is situated.

But for practical purposes, the DH lessens the risk of injury to pitchers. Every year we see a pitcher injured trying to bat or run the bases. This year Texas Rangers reliever Alexi Ogando pulled a hamstring trying to run out a ground ball in their series against the San Francisco Giants. Washington told me Wednesday, the injury has forced him to insist on his pitchers go through more base running drills to prevent future injuries, even if with the limited interleague schedule.

As for players who are full-time designated hitters such as Kendrys Morales, Adam Dunn, Michael Young and David Ortiz, they too often find themselves on the bench for important interleague games at NL ball parks. Fans want to see them hit, managers want them in the lineup. It is an imbalance that frankly, disrupts the quality and integrity of the game. And the dual rules will be even more striking next year when one of those designated hitters has to sit out of a crucial September game (or games) in an NL park.

The brutal truth is the MLB Players Association will never acquiesce to giving up the designated hitter because of the considerable salaries of those players. They aren't going to take jobs away from highly-paid productive offensive players such Ortiz, Morales, Dunn and Young. For instance, it would be difficult for a team like the White Sox -- who will pay Dunn $15 million in 2013 and 2014 -- to move him from DH to the field if the position was eliminated. It won’t happen now and it won’t happen in 10 years.

The new 15-team leagues in 2013 will improve the game's scheduling and make it more of an even playing field within the divisions. However, until the rules of interleague play become the same, the integrity and fairness of the competition will be rightfully questioned.

Look, I love National League baseball significantly more than having a full-time DH, but having baseball abide by one rule is absolutely essential for the game’s continuity. In order to allow the game to evolve, it’s just time to make the DH uniform in both leagues and leave the hitting to the professionals. Let's hope Commissioner Selig, the 30 clubs and the MLBPA do the right thing for baseball and just make the DH rule a permanent fixture for all games and every level of baseball.

I didn't read the whole article there, but I was confused by the beginning. How does Houston moving to the AL spell the end of interleague play? The Jays are still going to play national league teams along with everyone else are they not? Or are they actually getting rid of IL play? If they are this is the first i heard of it.

I presume he means with how most of it comes in one big block in June. It'll be sprinkled throughout the season going forward. I'm guessing it is why the schedules for next year hasn't be released yet.

I presume he means with how most of it comes in one big block in June. It'll be sprinkled throughout the season going forward. I'm guessing it is why the schedules for next year hasn't been released yet.

Yeah, I think they are looking at increasing the amount of 'inter-league' games and just not calling it 'inter-league' anymore.

to put it into perspective:

Henderson Alvarez makes $482,000 this year, he has 4 wins
Cliff Lee & Roy Halladay make a combined $41,500,000 this year and have 4 wins between them.

Sabathia and Pettite placed on the DL today by the Yankees. Nice to see them taking their share of the Jays' woes.