| Tony Gwynn | |
|---|---|
 Gwynn with the San Diego Padres in 1983 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born: May 9, 1960 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Died: June 16, 2014 (aged 54) Poway, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 19, 1982, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 2001, for the San Diego Padres | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .338 |
| Hits | 3,141 |
| Home runs | 135 |
| Runs batted in | 1,138 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2007 |
| Vote | 97.6% (first ballot) |
Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre," was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. Gwynn, who hit left-handed, won eight batting titles in his career, tied for the most in National League (NL) history. He was a 15-time All-Star and won seven Silver Slugger Awards and five Gold Glove Awards. Gwynn stayed with the Padres his entire career, and played in the only two World Series appearances in San Diego franchise history. Having hit over .300 for 19 straight seasons, Gwynn retired with a .338 career batting average, the highest mark since Ted Williams retired in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 in his first year of eligibility.
Gwynn attended San Diego State University (SDSU), where he played both college baseball and basketball for the Aztecs. He was an all-conference player in both sports in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), but was honored as an All-American in baseball. Gwynn was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 MLB draft as the 58th overall pick. He made his major-league debut the next year and won his first batting title in 1984, when San Diego advanced to its first-ever World Series. Gwynn was a poor fielder in college but received his first Gold Glove in 1986. The following year, he won the first of three consecutive batting titles. From 1990 to 1994, Gwynn endured four injury-shortened seasons, then had four straight batting titles starting in 1994, when he batted a career-high .394 in a strike-shortened season. Gwynn played in his second World Series in 1998 and reached the 3,000-hit milestone the following year. He played two more seasons, hampered by injuries in both, and retired after the 2001 season with 3,141 career hits.
A contact hitter, Gwynn regularly hit the ball to the opposite field. After first meeting Hall of Famer Ted Williams in 1992, Gwynn modified his hitting approach and became more adept at pulling the ball and using the entire field, as well as hitting for more power. In his early career years, he was also a threat to steal bases. Widely considered the greatest player in Padres history, Gwynn regularly accepted less money to remain with the small-market team. After he retired from playing, the Padres retired his No. 19 in 2004. Gwynn became the head baseball coach at his alma mater and also spent time as a baseball analyst. He died of salivary gland cancer in 2014, at the age of 54.