Padres Tony Gwynn Would Be 64 Today- 10 Quotes From the MLB Legend
Whether you are a fan of San Diego baseball or not. One thing we all can agree on is that the late Mr. Padre had one of the sweetest, purest swings in all of baseball history. The man could hit, and pitchers struggled with him for years. If he could have played longer; everyone would have have gladly tuned in and watched the magic. He is a guy we won’t soon forget in sports; therefore, on a day where the Padres Tony Gwynn would of been 64 years young; let’s take a few moments to reflect on his career and personal wisdom.
Baseball Egg put together a very nice little profile on Gwynn. They discuss everything from pitchers Tony faced to just how insane his batting stats are to truly contemplate. Like truly mind boggling. There’s so much interesting stuff about Tony and his immense plate discipline and prowess it’s crazy. A few highlights we enjoyed:
“In 2.440 career games, Gwynn struck out twice in a game only 34 times. He had 45 games of four or more hits, so it was more likely to see him get four hits than it was to see him strike out more than once. Tony Gwynn hit .302 with two strikes on him. In the 30-plus years that stat has been tracked, the next-best batting average with two strikes is .260 by Wade Boggs, more than 40 points below Gwynn’s mark.
From 1993 to 1997, his best five-year stretch, when he won four batting titles, Gwynn hit .368, a mark that was more than 30 points ahead of the next closest batter, Mike Piazza (.337). During his career, Tony won batting titles by 32 points (1987), 30 points (1984), 28 points (1994), 22 points (1995), and 17 points (1996).
In his 20 seasons, Gwynn posted 45 games in which he had at least four hits: 35 with four hits, nine with five hits, and one with six hits. His 45 games with at least four hits is 10th all-time (since 1954). In 1993, Gwynn had a stellar year when he had three five-hit games and his lone six-hit game. That six-hit game deserves closer examination.
Tony hit better against RHP in his career (.345 as opposed to .325 against southpaws), but as Gwynn got older, he got better, not worse, at hitting left-handers. From 1993-2001, the last nine years of his career, when he was 33-41 years old, Gwynn hit .349 against left-handed pitching.”
Padres Tony Gwynn Would Be 64 Today- 10 Quotes From the MLB Legend
What a career. However, Tony was also full of major baseball wisdom and he kindly shared it with one and all. Here are a few quotes from him, so that you can see what we mean.
“Remember these two things: play hard and have fun.
I try to keep it real simple. I try not to add a lot of frosting on what I’m doing. Just take the swing and don’t muscle the swing, because if you get in the hitting position and you take the swing, I generate a lot more bat speed, and that works for me.
It’s not about how hard you can swing, it’s about how well you can place the ball.
Sometimes technique works better than a whole lot of other things.
When you sign your name on the dotted line, it’s more than just playing baseball. You have a responsibility to make good decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done.
I think the ability to hit – some guys have it and some guys don’t – but I think how dedicated you are to trying to get the most out of yourself, I think kind of determines how good you are and for how long. I was born with the ability to hit, but my work ethic has taken it to the next level.
Knowing the strike zone is very important, but I think the first thing is knowing yourself, knowing what things you do well.”
Man… such a wonderful man. Both on and off the field. We miss his infectious laugh, talent and warm smile. A class act his entire life and we are thankful to have witnessed greatness; if even for just a brief moment. Thank you Tony… for making America’s favorite pastime, even better.
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