Dodger Stadium's first interleague game of 2011 set for tonight

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Detroit Tigers Monday night in the first of six interleague games this season at Dodger Stadium.

"I'm not a big fan" of interleague play, Dodger manager Don Mattingly said.

"I like it better in our park than in an American League park," Mattingly said. "As a National League team we're a little more set up with our roster for the pitcher hitting, double switches and multiple guys that can play different positions."

The designated hitter is not used in interleague games in National League stadiums, but is used in interleague games in American League stadiums.

Mattingly said he is a fan of the cross-town rivalries in interleague play, such as the New York Yankees and New York Mets, and would have liked to have had interleague play when he played. Mattingly spent his entire 14-season major league playing career with the Yankees.

Mattingly said one change he would make to interleague play is to have all the teams in a division play the same teams so no one is at a disadvantage.

"Last year, we played the Red Sox and Yankees and part of our division didn't play either one of those teams," Mattingly said.

The three-game series will be the Tigers' third at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers. The Dodgers won two out of three games in both the 2005 and 2010 series.

The Dodgers will also play a three-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Friday through Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Interleague

play started in 1997, initially with teams facing opponents from the corresponding division in the other league, such as teams from the National League West playing teams from the American League West. Beginning in 2002, the divisions were rotated annually.

Although criticized by baseball purists, interleague play has proved popular with fans. Interleague games averaged 33,253 per game in 2010, 11.7 percent higher than the sesaon's average of 29,777 for intraleague games.

Since it began in 1997, interleague games have averaged 33,261 fans per game, 11.8 percent more than 29,759 average for intraleague games during the same span.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18314334?source=rss

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