Edited sentence: In the perspective of Major League Baseball history, hitters have dominated the pitchers since the middle of the nineteen-nineties, even in the National League, which does not use the rule, and attendance has suffered occasional short term declines during the time since the hitters began to dominate again.Rule Has Exceeded Original Scope.The adoption of the rule by the American League was preceded, and considered justified, by a decade of domination by the Major League pitchers over the hitters, particulary in that league, and in spite of other efforts to change the rules to stimulate offense.The domination of the pitchers over the hitters was perceived to be a major drag on attendance.The original reason for proposing and adopting the rule in the American League has long since been overcome by events