Don Drysdale Quotes

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present an unprecedented collection of baseball related quotations spoken by Don Drysdale and about Don Drysdale.

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"My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team." - Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale Quotes

Quotes From & About Don Drysdale | Baseball Quotes | Don Drysdale

"A torn rotator cuff is a cancer for a pitcher and if a pitcher gets a badly torn one, he has to face the facts, it's all over baby."

"If they knocked two of your guys down, I'd get four. You have to protect your hitters."

"In Brooklyn, it was as though you were in your own little bubble. You were all part of one big, but very close family, and the Dodgers were the main topic of everybody's conversations and you could sense the affection people had for you. I don't know that such a thing exists anymore."

"I hate all hitters. I start a game mad and I stay that way until it's over."

"It's a bottom line business where a lot of gray suits are brought in and then, within two years, these guys suddenly know everything about baseball."

"My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team." Source: Hall of Fame Yearbook (1989)

"Some of these guys wear beards to make them look intimidating, but they don't look so tough when they have to deliver the ball. Their abilities and their attitudes don't back up their beards."

"The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid, and if he is timid, he has to remind the hitter he's timid." Source: New York Times (July 9, 1979)

"When I throw a curve that hangs and it goes for a hit, I want to chew up my glove."

"When the ball is over the middle of the plate, the batter is hitting it with the sweet part of the bat. When it's inside, he's hitting it with the part of the bat from the handle to the trademark. When it's outside, he's hitting it with the end of the bat. You've got to keep the ball away from the sweet part of the bat. To do that, the pitcher has to move the hitter off the plate." Source: Words of Wisdom (William & Leonard Safire)

"When we played, World Series checks meant something. Now all they do is screw your taxes."

"Batting against Don Drysdale is the same as making a date with a dentist." - Dick Groat

"Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch." - Mike Shannon

"I hated to bat against (Don) Drysdale. After he hit you he'd come around, look at the bruise on your arm and say, 'Do you want me to sign it?'" - Mickey Mantle

"I personally think it's too bad if a batter gets hit crowding the plate. I know that Don Drysdale, Larry Sherry, and Stan Williams felt the same way when they pitched for the Dodgers in the late fifties and early sixties." - Roger Craig

"The trick against (Don) Drysdale is to hit him before he hits you." - Orlando Cepeda

Los Angeles Times Article: They Did It with Big "D"

Most remember Gibson's homer being described in legendary calls from Scully on national television and Jack Buck on national radio. Only those listening on local radio remember that Drysdale also made a call, a colorful, lengthy description of the at-bat that ended with a shout.

"Way back. . . . This ball is gone!! . . . This crowd will not stop. . . . They can't believe the ending. . . . And this time, Mighty Casey did NOT strike out!"

Few ever talk about Drysdale's call, and It's easy to think of it as the third-most important home-run description of that night. But one notable person would disagree.

In the spring of 1989, Drysdale was approached by Gibson, who thanked him.

"For what?" Drysdale asked.

"Every time I needed inspiration while working out this winter, I listened to your call," Gibson said.

Quotes From & About Don Drysdale
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Don Drysdale was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. See how his statistics compare to other pitchers who are also enshrined.

Did you know that in 1962, Don Drysdale won twenty-five games and lost only nine, earning him his first (and only one was given that year) Cy Young Award?

Don Drysdale holds the Major League record for seasons leading the league in batters hit by a pitch - a practice that today is shunned upon. What are your thoughts? Share your opinion on Baseball Fever today.