Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr., nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 20 seasonsin Major League Baseballfor the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hitting Gwynn won eight batting titles in his career, tied for the most in National Leaguehistory. He is considered one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He had a .338 career batting average, never hitting below .309 in any full season. Gwynn was a 15-time All-Star, recognized for...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth9 May 1960
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I like the pro game, too, but I feel like I'm at the right place in my life. I'm doing what I want to do and that's more important.
When you faced the Cardinals, it was a seven-inning game. You better have the lead after seven. If not, here comes Sutter and that was it.
We were winning late. (Colin) Tanabe hit a ball into right-center field that we thought the right fielder should've caught, didn't, and we ended up getting beat and that left a bitter taste in your mouth.
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.
I'm coaching 'swing at this, don't swing at that,' and in the middle of it, a kid looks at me and says, 'Coach, I think I'm going to fail history.' Or maybe their girlfriend just dumped them. These are kids, and once I embraced that, this became a lot more fun.
When I wake up in the morning, I don't think of myself as being better than anybody else. I think of myself as a good hitter.
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.
Steroids do not guarantee you're going to have success. I think a lot of people think that they will, but they don't.
It's about getting in position and taking a swing. I don't care if you're taking steroids or not; if you don't do those two things, it's not going to matter anyway.
I had no idea that all the things in my career were going to happen. I sure didn't see it. I just know the good Lord blessed me with ability, blessed me with good eyesight and a good pair of hands, and then I worked at the rest.
Like a lot of kids, you kind of think baseball's boring - that's the perception.
What drives me is trying to be perfect.
I was a contact hitter my whole career but I learned how to handle the ball inside. And Ted Williams played a big part in that. He gave me the advice on how to handle inside pitches.
Nobody talked about my defense or that I used to steal bases, too.