What the tag does
- One batter per team may be designated as the DHH before the game.
- Over-the-fence home runs by the DHH do not count toward the team's home run limit.
- Everyone else's home runs still count normally against the cap.
- The DHH still bats in the regular order — it is not a substitute or an extra hitter.
The walk credit
Defenses quickly learn to pitch around the DHH. To stop that, a walk to the DHH gives the offense one free home run: the next over-the-fence shot by any batter is exempt from the limit. That credit expires the moment the DHH steps back into the box, so it has to be used within the trip through the order.
Losing the tag
- If the DHH is subbed out of the game, the tag is gone for the rest of the game.
- It cannot be transferred to the substitute or to another batter.
- Any unused free-home-run credit disappears with the tag.
Scoring it correctly
A DHH home run is a normal home run for the batter's stats — the exemption is a team-level limit adjustment, not a stat adjustment. Keep the team's counted total and the DHH's exempt total separate in the book, or the next argument at the fence will be unwinnable.
How Dugout Hero handles it
Select GSL rules, tag a DHH from the lineup, and the scorer tracks the exempt total, the free-home-run credit earned on a walk, and the automatic loss of the tag on substitution — without anyone in the dugout doing arithmetic between innings.
FAQ
What does DHH mean in slow pitch softball?
DHH stands for Designated Homerun Hitter. In GSL play a team may tag one batter whose over-the-fence home runs do not count against the team's home run limit.
What happens if the DHH is walked?
The team earns one 'free' home run that does not count against its limit. The credit stays available until the DHH comes to the plate again.
Can a team change its DHH mid-game?
No. If the DHH is substituted out of the game the tag is lost for good and cannot be reassigned to another batter.