Chicago White sox pitcher Chris Sale owes a debt of gratitude to the late, great Tony Gwynn, whose death in 2014 helped him to quit chewing tobacco, the deadly habit that killed the San Diego Padre great at age 54.
“I chewed tobacco from 2007 until the day he died,” Sale told reporters on Monday. “I quit that day and haven’t touched it since. So in a sense I owe him a huge thank you.”
Gwynn consumed 1 ½ to 2 tins of smokeless tobacco per day from 1977 to 2008, according to a lawsuit filed by his family in May against a major tobacco company. He died in June 2014 after a long battle with salivary gland cancer that started in 2010. Considered one of the best hitters in baseball history, Gwynn will be honored Tuesday night at the All-Star Game in San Diego.
Sale will be reminded of the impact Gwynn had on his life when he takes the mound for the American League as the starting pitcher. A five-time All-Star, this will be Sale’s first start in the Midsummer Classic.
