Gwynn Has No Fear, but He Respects Atlanta

John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux? No big deal to Tony Gwynn--statistically speaking, at least.

The San Diego Padre right fielder has a batting average of .409 against the Atlanta Braves’ three renowned starting pitchers.

Gwynn is hitting .452 against Smoltz, who starts the opener in the National League championship series that begins tonight; .322 against Glavine, and .455 against Maddux.

However, he doesn’t suggest it has been easy and isn’t making any claims.

“The upside is that I’ve had 50 or 60 at-bats against each of them and so I don’t come into a series in awe,” he said. “The downside is that they’re very tough, very crafty, very professional. You can get four or five great swings and come up empty.

“It’s always a battle. They don’t make many mistakes and they force you to hit their pitch. You can’t come into a series thinking you’re going to get four or five hits. The chances are you can put the bat on the ball because they’re always around the plate, but the key is to put it in play.

“The bottom line, I guess, is that I don’t come in thinking they’re unbeatable, but I do come in with a healthy respect.”