Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to push bringing the Designated Hitter to the National League, but that may change the nature of the game too much. The American League and the National League have two completely different styles of play, and that helps keep the MLB more interesting. Having one uniform style of play can seem very boring and uninteresting.
In the NFL, NBA and NHL, the NFC/Eastern Conferences and AFC/Western Conferences seem to have two different playstyles. One typically seems to have more offense and one more defense in each league/association, and that is what makes it more interesting. Fans know that there will be one style played in one league and one in the other.
And that is what makes it that much more interesting in baseball. Whereas in the other leagues it just so happens to be that difference in playstyles that has formed over the years, MLB has a distinct reasoning behind the two different playstyles and ways the league pans out.
Especially with the DH rule implemented in just the American League, having just that one more hitter in the lineup, compared to a pitcher, makes the league more of a power and offense-driven league. Meanwhile, the National League is focused on pitching and player matchups.
Why else would every year from 2011-2016 the top two-plus home run leaders each year were from the American League. Meanwhile in that same time period, the leader in ERA was from the National League.
According to Baseball Almanac, since the DH rule was implemented in 1973, only one year from then until 1997 did the National League lead in runs scored. Then from 1998 to 2012, which was a majority of the time frame of the steroids era, the National League led every year in runs. Since then, the American League has led every year.
In the American League, you typically keep the same lineup throughout the game, with the exception of a pinch hitter or pinch runner here and there. It is then typical to use a pitcher for around five or six innings, and then bring in three or four relievers for certain situations, whether it be setup relievers and closers, or pitchers who are closing out a game in a losing effort to save the rest of the bullpen.
In the National League, there is a much different luxury, as a starting pitcher might throw a few too many pitches or not pitch as long as he typically would depending on when he is up in the order and how the game is going score wise. After that, you then get double switches and much more player matchups, such as left on left or a reliever with lots of movement facing the heart of the order.
The American League is all about setting the starting lineup based on the starter and whether he is a lefty or a righty and whether some of your players struggle against him. On the other hand, the National League is all about who you are facing, and also who you could see out of the bullpen and who might match up against that pitcher as a pinch hitter in a much-needed situation.
While implementing the DH rule in the National League on top of the National League would bring about more consistency throughout the MLB, too much consistency could make the leagues too similar and change the game of baseball as we know it. Plus, then how would we get to see pitchers who rake?
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