Famous Baseball Quotes that also Apply to Investing
- Travis Tsukayama, CFP® CFA
- Mar 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 9
This week, the 2026 World Baseball Classic kicked off with its first slate of games. The tournament occurs once every four years, with 20 teams from the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Australia competing for the top spot. Given the four-year gap between tournaments and because teams are representing their entire country, it’s a point of national pride for the fans and creates a really electrifying atmosphere. With the start of the WBC and the early days of Spring Training, it feels like baseball is back.
Baseball holds a unique charm for its fans. It has a long history, with Major League Baseball roots dating back to 1876. During that time, there have been many players who are remembered by baseball fanatics for one reason or another. Some are regarded as heroes, some as scapegoats, and some for their memorable words that belong in the Hall of Fame of all-time quotes.
Baseball wisdom has much in common with investing wisdom. Baseball is an analytical sport filled with numbers and data but is deeply impacted by human behavior. The same is true for investing, where a seemingly foolproof investment plan must be followed to be successful. In today’s post, we’ll look at three quotes from baseball history that also apply to investing. We’re learning while having fun – let’s dive in.
"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game”
– Babe Ruth
“The Great Bambino” Babe Ruth is widely regarded as the best player the sport has ever seen. His quote above, one of his most famous, describes the courage it takes to keep playing despite strikeouts and failure being a normal part of baseball.
Investing also involves regular setbacks. The S&P 500 has averaged a 14% peak-to-trough decline each year since 1980. That doesn’t mean it ends the year that way, but it’s been a temporary drop that investors have to stomach in order to see higher returns than fixed income offers.
What’s the alternative? What if the fear of striking out did keep you from playing the game? In investing terms, that means keeping your portfolio in cash and not investing in anything with any level of risk.
The result of that route isn’t great. Inflation reduces the value of your purchasing power every year. $1 million 30 years ago was much more valuable than $1 million today. As the cost of goods and services rises each year, it takes more money to maintain our standard of living. Historically, taking some market risk has been an important part of growing wealth at a rate that outpaces inflation.
“To succeed in baseball, as in life, you must make adjustments.”
– Ken Griffey Jr.
Ken Griffey Jr. is one of baseball’s best hitters, recording 630 home runs during his career good for 7th on the all-time leaderboard.
Even a hitter as great as Griffey Jr. needed to adjust his game along the way.
In baseball, small variations in your swing can result in dramatically different outcomes. The angle of the bat and swing timing can mean the difference between solid contact and a total whiff. Part of the difficulty comes from pitchers who adjust their approach trying to get you to strike out.
To be successful in investing, it’s recommended to adjust.
One example is rebalancing your portfolio. Let’s say your portfolio is invested in a specific mix of stocks and bonds. One part of the portfolio might grow faster than the other, leading to an imbalance over time. Rebalancing (adjusting) your portfolio will get it back to the intended asset mix. If you don’t make adjustments, you are left with a portfolio that is unaligned with your goals and risk tolerance.
Another example is adjusting your risk level.
Workers earning a stable wage have the capacity to take on investment risk. If they’re putting money into their retirement account every paycheck, a market pullback allows them to buy into stocks at lower prices.
Retirees in the distribution phase of life, however, may not be able to absorb the same level of risk. If a retiree relies on portfolio withdrawals to pay their bills, they will find it difficult to endure temporary but painful market downturns if their total portfolio loses value all at once.
“You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.”
– Yogi Berra
I had to include a quote from the great Yogi Berra. Yogi Berra was an 18-time All-Star and won more World Series championships than any other player in MLB history.
What makes Yogi a legendary figure in baseball, however, are his “Yogi-isms” – his off-the-cuff quotes that are seemingly unintentionally humorous and wise.
Creating a financial plan starts with goal-setting. The more specific you can be about your goals, the more likely it is that you’ll reach them.
If your goal is to retire by a certain age and sustain a specific monthly withdrawal from your portfolio, you can work out exactly how much you need to save now and what rate of return is required to meet your goal. Start with your goal and the plan comes together.
In baseball, players and coaches come together as a team to set goals for the season. The ultimate goal is winning a World Series. Each player may have individual goals of improving their career batting average, stealing more bases than last year, or making the All-Star team. Once they have an objective in mind, the adjustments and training necessary to achieve it become clear.
Without a clear goal, an investing plan can face severe challenges. Instead of saving and investing in line with established goals, it can be random and undisciplined. The results will vary and success is less likely. As Yogi said, knowing where you’re going will help you get there.
In Summary
Investing wisdom can come from unexpected places. Baseball’s long history and storied characters are full of these gems. When you’re watching the World Baseball Classic this month or Opening Day of the major league season in a few weeks, think about the wisdom of Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr. and Yogi Berra. America’s pastime, much like the US stock market, marches on.
Thanks for reading,
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