Gwynn in a Slump? He’s Just Impatient

Early in the year 2000, if all goes well, 39-year-old Tony Gwynn will join the 3,000-hit club by selecting a fastball on the outside portion of the plate and driving it into left field with that uniquely effective inside-out swing that made him the National League batting champion way back in 1984.

Such is the essence of a projection published in the current issue of Sports Illustrated, which lists Gwynn among the up-and-coming hitters likely to achieve the 3,000-hit plateau.

The magazine’s projection assumes he will average 173 hits per season between now and 2000. That’s a reasonable enough assumption, based on last year’s 213 hits and league-leading .351 average.

Gwynn was more concerned with other projections Monday night as the Padres met the San Francisco Giants in their home opener.

Gwynn, who was battling an 0-for-12 streak entering the game, collected two hits off San Francisco’s Atlee Hammaker to abort his slump.

He had gone two games without a hit, something that never happened last year, when he batted .434 in April. He also was pained by some separated tissue in his ribcage, which had caused a barrage of questions about the relationship of the injury to the slump.

According to Gwynn, there was no relationship. People were just projecting their assumptions about the nature of the slump onto him, Gwynn said.

The real problem was more basic.

Impatience.

“I know what I’m doing wrong,” Gwynn said between swings during batting practice. “I’m not waiting for my pitch. I’m lunging at the ball. I’m not being patient.

“Since I’m not hitting, people are all looking for reasons. But, really, it’s more mental than physical. It’s not the ribs. It’s me.”

Gwynn ought to know. After arriving home Sunday night from Atlanta, where the slump began, Gwynn went into his living room and turned on his VCR.

The process of self-discovery was simple. He just compared a tape of when he was hitting well with a tape of his current malaise.

“Last year I made mistakes, but the hits were still falling in,” he said. “This year, they haven’t been dropping.”

Gwynn, however, did not seem to be worried. He reasoned, expertly, there would be an orgy of self indulgence from the opening night audience, and he was hoping to borrow some adrenaline from the fans.

“When we left town last week, the people were so excited about baseball,” Gwynn said. “I know it’s going to be like it was during the playoffs, and with that kind of atmosphere, it helps a player believe he can do a little more.

“I hope it will be an edge for me. I know I’m anxious to get going.”

It didn’t take him long.

After grounding out to second in his first at-bat, Gwynn tripled off the 370 marker in right-center on his second trip to the plate. The 0-for-13 blues were history.

Gwynn’s hit ignited a four-run inning for the Padres.

He singled to center and stole his first base of the season in the fifth inning. He hit the ball sharply, but lined out to third in the seventh.

The end of Gwynn’s slump was more or less foretold by Padre hitting instructor Deacon Jones.

“He’s been forcing it, but I’m satisfied with the way he has been swinging,” Jones said during batting practice.

“He hasn’t been getting ahead in the count, as he usually does, and that’s a sign of anxiety. He’s been deviating from his strike zone, and his strong suit is his knowledge of the strike zone.

“But his swing looks good. And if you ask if I’m worried, I say, no way.”

Manager Dick Williams wasn’t worried, either.

“Tony is a guy who will play with pain,” he said. “The only thing we ask of our players is to be honest. We don’t want martyrs. It’s better to miss a couple of days than a month.”

Williams said Gwynn’s injury probably would heal in 10 days if he didn’t play, or 14 days if he played.

There was never any question Gwynn would continue to play. Or terminate his slump.