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| Ron Gant | |
|---|---|
 Gant in 2012 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: (1965-03-02)March 2, 1965 (age 60) Victoria, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1987, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 25, 2003, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .256 |
| Home runs | 321 |
| Runs batted in | 1,008 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ronald Edwin Gant (born March 2, 1965) is an American televisionnews anchor and former professionalbaseballoutfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) between 1987 and 2003 for eight different teams, primarily theAtlanta Braves (1987–1993),St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998), andPhiladelphia Phillies (1999–2000). He joined the30–30 club—recording at least 30stolen bases and 30home runs in the same season—in 1990 and 1991, while with the Braves. He batted and threw right-handed. He is currently a co-host onWAGA-TV's morning news programGood Day Atlanta.
Gant was born inVictoria, Texas, to George Gant, a chemistry professor, and Alice Hardeman, aspecial education teacher.[1][2] Gant playedfootball and baseball in high school. He was recruited heavily to playcollege baseball for such schools asTexas andOklahoma, but turned down scholarship offers in order to play professionally after high school.[2][3]
Gant was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the1983 MLB draft (100th overall), and joined the Braves in1987 as a September call-up, after winning the Bill Lucas Award as the Braves' Minor League Player of the Year in 1986.[4] He collected 22hits in 83at-bats, including twohome runs. During the1988 season, the rookie Gant was an everyday player for the struggling Braves, who finished with a record of 54–106. After a disappointing sophomore season in1989, Gant was sent down to the minor leagues to learn how to play the outfield. Gant returned to form and the starting lineup in1990, when hebatted .303 with 32home runs and 84RBI while being named the National LeagueComeback Player of the Year byThe Sporting News.
Additionally, Gant stole thirty-three bases in1990, qualifying for the30–30 club. He duplicated that feat in1991, joiningWillie Mays (1956–1957) andBobby Bonds (1977–1978) as the only players inMajor League history to that point to have two 30 home run/30 stolen base seasons in a row.Barry Bonds later eclipsed the accomplishment, qualifying for the 30–30 Club in three straight seasons, from1995–1997.
Although his home run and stolen base totals were extremely similar the following year, most of his other stats were not as good: he hit just .251 with over 100strikeouts and 23 fewer hits in just 14 fewer at-bats. His RBI numbers also increased to 105.
The Braves lost to theMinnesota Twins in the1991 World Series. Gant batted .267 in the series, with four RBIs, as the Twins won it in a close and exciting seventh game. During Game 2 of the 1991 World Series, Gant had a memorable and controversial confrontation with Twins first basemanKent Hrbek. As Gant was trying to make it back to first base to avoid Twins pitcherKevin Tapani's pickoff, he claimed Hrbek pulled his leg off the base during the swipe tag and Gant was called out. Drew Coble, the first base umpire, ruled that Gant's momentum had carried him off the bag, and refused to change his call. Aiding the controversy the commentators at the time remarked[5] that it appeared that Hrbek had in fact lifted Gant off the bag and that his 235-pound frame helped him lift the lighter Gant who weighs only 172 pounds.New York Times writer Claire Smith wrote, "Hrbek seemed to lift Gant's leg right off the bag as the Braves' center fielder fought to keep his balance." This play caused the Braves' bench to empty during the argument.[6][7]
Although he would never hit .300 again, Gant's batting average continued to climb back up into the .270s and his power numbers stayed great, while he continually drove in over 80 runs a year, peaking at 117 in1993. In both 1991 and 1993, he was in the top five in the league in runs batted in.
In1992, Gant made his lastWorld Series appearance, where he got onedouble in eight at-bats, and the Braves lost again, this time in six games to theToronto Blue Jays.
On September 15, 1993, during a nationally televised game onESPN against theCincinnati Reds, Gant hit a game-winning walk-off home run offRob Dibble to give the Braves a come from behind victory. The Braves trailed 6–2, going into the bottom of the 9th.
Shortly after signing one of the richest contracts in Braves history in1994, Gant broke his right leg in anATV accident. The Braves ended up releasing him; he would not play again until 1995, emerging with the Cincinnati Reds before being signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996.
1997 was the low point of Gant's career when he struck out 162 times and batted .229 for the Cardinals. After the Cardinals didn't play him full-time in1998 (though he still hit 26 homers), he was traded by the Cardinals withJeff Brantley andCliff Politte to the Philadelphia Phillies forRicky Bottalico andGarrett Stephenson on November 19.
The next year, Gant would have his last real quality season. With the Phillies in1999, he batted a solid .260 with 17 home runs and 77 RBIs. He had 13 stolen bases and 107runs scored, with 27 doubles and twotriples, in 134 hits.
He set the lowest RBI total ever by a player with 25 or more homers (tied in 2015 byJoc Pederson, who also hit 26 home runs with 54 RBIs).[8]
After a non-productive 2003 season with the A's, Gant retired at age 38.
In a 16-season career, Gant batted .256 with 321 home runs and 1,008 RBIs. He had 243 stolen bases and 1,080 runs scored in 1,832 games. Gant had 302 doubles and 50 triples in his career. He ended with 1,651 hits in 6,449 at-bats. Gant averaged 20home runs, 63RBIs, and 15 stolen bases a year. In postseason play, Gant was a .228 hitter with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 52 playoff games; he had 43 hits in 189 at-bats.
During the 2005Major League Baseball season, Gant worked as a color commentator for theAtlanta Braves onTBS. He also worked as an analyst onSportSouth during Braves games and on theMLB Network.
On October 25, 2012, he became a news anchor for the AtlantaFox owned-and-operated stationWAGA-TV, co-hosting the morning showGood Day Atlanta.
In 1992, Gant was involved in a bar fight in Georgia withConnie Mack IV, the great-grandson ofHall of FamerConnie Mack.[9] Mack suffered a broken ankle in the fight, but a jury ultimately found that Gant was not responsible for Mack's injuries.[10][11]
In February 2005, Gant was involved in a fatal car accident when hisSUV collided with apickup truck inFulton County, Georgia, killing the truck's driver.[12]
In June 2005, Gant and his wife assisted theOffice of the Attorney General of Georgia and theGeorgia Bureau of Investigation in setting up asting operation which resulted in the arrest of six people for charges related tomortgage fraud involving the sale of the family'sAlpharetta home. The state alleged the scheme would have netted the fraudsters a profit of more than $800,000 (equivalent to $1,290,000 in 2024).[13]
As of 2015[update], Gant lived inSuwanee, Georgia. He has five children: a son and four daughters.[3]