MLB legend recalls winning 13 Gold Glove as highlight of his impressive career
Former MLB shortstop Ozzie Smith, also known as the "Wizard of Oz", recently caught up with the MLB Network, relieving the good times on the field, and how nobody could flash the leather like him.
Nobody could flash the leather like The Wizard!
13x Gold Glover Ozzie Smith details the pride he took in his legendary defense and breaks down one of his most iconic plays on #MLBNHotStove! https://t.co/B8kVx6qWB1
"Nobody could flash the leather like The Wizard! 13x Gold Glover Ozzie Smith details the pride he took in his legendary defense and breaks down one of his most iconic plays on #MLBNHotStove!" - MLB Network, Twitter
The former San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals man won the National League Gold Glove Award for his ridiculously good defensive play at shortstop for a record 13 consecutive seasons!
Having won 13 in a row, Ozzie personally holds them in high regard, stating that they really stood out in his career.
“You know I came in notably as a defensive player, you know, so that really was the crowning moment of my career, you know, being able to win 13 consecutive. And I’ve always taken a lot of pride in it, I took a lot of pride in my defense as well. But those golden gloves are the things that more than anything else have really stood out in my career,” Ozzie said.
Ozzie and the reporters also took a trip down memory lane to discuss his play at the Jack Murphy Stadium against Jeff Burroughs, a play truly for the ages. Ozzie admitted that it was a play so good that it wasn't even practiced.
“It’s one of those plays you don’t practice. That certainly was a reactionary play for me, and it was the one that put me on the map, and I didn’t realize until the next morning, you know what a play it was. I was listening to the radio and the guys said “I may have seen the best play I have seen in baseball,” Ozzie concluded.
Ozzie Smith was a defensive wizard at shortstop back in the day and was a treat to watch for every baseball aficionado back in the day. He was truly a human highlight reel!
Ozzie Smith in MLB
Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals during his 13-year Major League Baseball career.
A 15-time All-Star, he won the National League Gold Glove award for a record 13 consecutive seasons. Smith accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his illustrious career. He also won the National League Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter at shortstop in 1987.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002 and was also elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014.