Tony Gwynn was the best hitter of an entire generation, racking up 3,141 hits and a .338 batting average over 20 years with the San Diego Padres.
He won 8 batting titles and led the Padres to their only two World Series appearances.
He was a 15-time All-Star, boasting five 200-hit seasons.
He never struck out more than 40 times in a season.
He had 297 career three-hit games.
He batted .300 in each of his last 19 seasons. Only Ty Cobb had more.
He used one bat in 1994, hitting .394 before the baseball strike ended the season.
He won 5 gold gloves.
He was the only player over the last 80 years to hit .300 with 300 stolen bases
His .338 career average ranks 18th-best all-time. Of those 17 ahead of him, only Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams played in the modern era past 1939.
And now he’s gone, way too young.
Tony, you were a Hall-of-Fame baseball player and a Hall-of-Fame person. Thank you for being a class act; a role model; a mentor; a family man; a friend; and one of the best ambassadors the game has ever known.
Gwynn died of cancer at age 54 early Monday in Poway, Calif. He signed a one-year contract extension as head baseball coach at San Diego State on Wednesday after being on medical leave since late March while recovering from cancer treatment.
His No. 19 was retired by the Padres in 2004 and a statue was erected in his honor outside San Diego’s Petco Park. He played his entire career for the Padres.
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Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
Photo Credit: Getty
