When the DH was first employed in the World Series in 1976, the Yankees' DHs hit.063 (1-for-16), while the Cincinnati Reds' DHs hit.357 (5-for-14). The Yankees employed three men as DH, while the Reds only used one: Dan Driessen. After the 1976 World Series, the Yankees never again sent a player out to bat for them in any game of the series. The last team to use two hitters per side as their DHs in the World Series was the Houston Astros in 2017. They went 0-4 with their two batters before announcing that they would be using a lineup with one batter per side during Game Designated Hitter Games. The Astros finished last in the NL West with a 42-100 record. The last time this position became vacant on its own was in 2019 when Daniel Murphy retired after 13 seasons with the New York Mets. During Game 1 of the 2020 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Japanese baseball will honor the memory of those who have died due to the coronavirus by wearing black armbands during Game 1 of the series. This is the first time this has happened since the original Tokyo Yakult in 1946. The Swallows are led by former major league pitcher Takahiro Norimoto who played for the team from 1997 to 2001.