Motivation Quote by Don Drysdale

Drysdale’s line isn’t just competitive bluster; it’s a self-issued license to be ruthless. “I hate all hitters” sounds cartoonish until you hear the real intent: he’s describing a mental posture that turns every at-bat into a personal affront. The pitcher’s job is to disrupt, embarrass, and control, and “hate” becomes a tool to strip away empathy that might soften the edge.

The sentence structure does a lot of work. “I start a game mad” suggests anger as pregame ritual, not a loss of control. Then: “I stay that way until it’s over” frames rage as disciplined stamina, a long burn that lasts nine innings. It’s also a subtle flex about composure: he’s not being emotional in the fragile sense; he’s choosing a single, unbreakable mood and letting it carry him through pressure.

Context matters: Drysdale pitched in an era that openly celebrated intimidation, inside fastballs, and the idea that fear was part of the sport’s texture. This was before modern PR sanitizing, before pitchers were expected to talk like wellness influencers. The subtext is a worldview where respect is earned through discomfort: you don’t compete with the hitter, you impose yourself on him.

There’s also a thinly veiled confession here. If you have to “start” mad, maybe the anger is armor against doubt, fatigue, or the creeping knowledge that a round bat and one mistake can undo your night. Drysdale turns that vulnerability into a constant snarl, and it reads like a manifesto for the old-school ace: dominance as attitude, not just velocity.