Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean
Yeah, that strike took away his chance to achieve something that would be remembered for ages. But he never showed any bitterness over his lost opportunity.
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The strike cost him .400. I've always felt that way, and the numbers back it up, Sean.
He played 10 games in August, right before the strike hit. How was he doing in August, you may ask?
He had 19 hits in 40 at bats. He was hitting .475 in August. And in those 40 at bats..he struck out one time.
Tony was in the zone.
His 1994 performance was part of maybe the greatest five year hitting demonstrations in modern baseball history. From 1993 to 1997 (age 33 to 37), he hit .358, .394, .368, .353, and .372. His composite batting average for those 5 years was .368. And remember, by this point in his career, Tony had added weight. His knees were betraying him. And when you consider that Tony had changed his approach at the plate, what he accomplished was all the more impressive. Read this article on Deadspin about his chance meeting with Ted Williams at the 1992 All Star Game.
http://deadspin.com/how-tony-gwynn-c...ege-1591491368
Tony went from hitting .309, .317, .317 from 1990 to 1992 to the mind-boggling five year streak I referred to. Hell, at ages 40 and 41, when he was just a part time player, with only 229 at bats between those two seasons, he still hit .323.
The man was incredible.
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