Chris Sale admits Tony Gwynn's death the reason he quit chewing tobacco

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SAN DIEGO -- Chris Sale paid tribute to "Mr. Padre" Tony Gwynn during Monday's All-Star Game press conference, admitting Gwynn's death from salivary gland cancer in 2014 was the reason he quit chewing tobacco.

Sale was named the American League's starting pitcher by manager Ned Yost, and made an emotional remark when asked about Gwynn's impact.

"He actually made a very big impact in my life. I remember, I chewed tobacco from 2007 until the day he passed away," Sale said. "And I remember seeing that, and just being so shocked. He was a larger-than-life person, he was an inspiration to the game for many, many people for a lot of different reasons. But I quit that day and haven't touched it since. So in a sense I owe him a huge thank yuo for noy only myself but my family and hopefully I can maybe sway somebody in the right direciton like he did for me."

Gwynn passed away in June 2014. The Hall of Famer spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres, amassing 3,141 hits and a career .338 batting average.

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