Charleston Daily Mail: Smith: Eddie Mathews knew hitting

Call me a sap, but between this kinda gunk and old Vivilore Jordan 45’s…I can’t get enough.

As for sheer power, though, I would rate the left-handed hitting Mathews up there with anyone. He hit towering home runs and was one of the first players other teams put on a shift for. It’s interesting that Matthews, Williams and Musial all batted lefty.

We were sitting in a lounge in Plant City, Fla., one night having a drink. I asked Eddie, “Are hitters born or made?”

He thought for a second and said, “If a batter has the ability to hit .275 and is hitting only .190, I think I can make him hit to his potential. But I can’t make him a .300 hitter. Great hitters are born.

...“I hit 512 home runs and couldn’t hit a curve ball. Every pitcher in the league knew it.”

I said, “How did you hit all those home runs?”

“If you’re patient, you’re going to get your pitch to hit maybe four or five times a game ...and you’d better be sitting on it.”

“Can you teach a hitter to hit with power?”

“No. I’ll use myself as an example. From the first time I ever remember picking up a baseball bat I could hit the ball hard.”

“What were you doing?”

“I don’t know. I played in the Majors for 16 years and I still don’t know.”