Tony Gwynn: Mr. Padre

Tony Gwynn: Mr. Padre

Tony Gwynn: Mr. Padre

Nicknamed “Mr. Padre” and “Captain Video” due to him watching countless amounts of tape that featured his at-bats, Anthony Keith Gwynn was simply called “Tony’ by his friends, family and teammates. In his 20 seasons of playing in Major League Baseball Gwynn has left a lasting impression on fans of the game, and not just because of how well he played. Gwynn was also a down to earth individual whom many people could have friendly conversations with. Gwynn was best known for being able to get hits through the gap between the third baseman and shortstop, which is known as the “5.5 Gap”.

Gwynn was selected in the 3rd Round of the 1981 MLB Draft with the 58th overall pick by the San Diego Padres, the only organization that Gwynn would ever play for. After playing in the minor leagues Gwynn started off slow in his rookie year in 1982 as he only had 55 hits, 12 doubles and 8 stolen bases in 54 games, though he batted .289. His first Major League hit was a double and it came against Sid Monge of the Philadelphia Phillies on July 19.

Playing in 86 games in 1983 Gwynn batted .309 with 94 hits, 12 doubles and 7 stolen bases. 1984 was certainly Gwynn’s breakout year as he batted .351 with 71 RBI’s, 213 hits, 21 doubles, 10 triples and 33 stolen bases in 158 games. Gwynn was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game for the National League while he would finish in 3rd place in NL Most Valauble Player voting. Gwynn would win a Silver Slugger for his great season. In the playoffs Gwynn had 12 hits and 3 doubles. In the 1984 World Series against the Detroit Tigers Gwynn batted .371.

Playing in 154 games in 1985 Tony Gwynn continued to bat for a high average as he batted .317 with 197 hits, 29 doubles, 5 triples and 14 stolen bases. Gwynn would get his 500th career hit off Craig McMurtry of the Atlanta Braves on August 18. In 1986 Gwynn played in 160 games and batted .329 with 14 home runs, 211 hits, 33 doubles, 7 triples and 37 stolen bases. By this point Gwynn had been sent to his 3rd All-Star Game while winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger for his position of right field. He also finished in 9th place in NL MVP voting.

Playing in 157 games in 1987 Gwynn batted .370 with 218 hits, 36 doubles, 13 triples and 56 stolen bases. In 1988 Gwynn batted .313 with 70 RBI’s, 163 hits, 22 doubles, 5 triples and 26 stolen bases in 133 games, finishing in 7th place in NL MVP voting. Playing in 158 games in 1989 Gwynn batted .336 with 203 hits, 27 doubles, 7 triples and 40 stolen bases. In 1990 Gwynn played in 141 games and batted .309 with 72 RBI’s, 177 hits, 29 doubles, 10 triples and 17 stolen bases, finishing in 8th place in NL MVP voting.

In 1991 Gwynn batted .317 with 168 hits, 27 doubles and 11 triples in 134 games. In 1992 Gwynn again batted .317 with 165 hits and 27 doubles in 128 games. In 1993 Gwynn batted .358 with 175 hits, 41 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 122 games. On August 6 Gwynn got his 2,000th career hit, a single, off Bruce Ruffin of the Colorado Rockies. In the strike-shortened season of 1994 Gwynn played in 110 games and batted .394 with 12 home runs, 165 hits and 35 doubles, finishing in 7th place in NL MVP voting.

Playing in 135 games in 1995 Gwynn batted .368 with 9 home runs and 90 RBI’s off 197 hits, 33 doubles and 17 stolen bases, finishing in 9th place in NL MVP voting. Playing in 116 games in 1996 Gwynn batted .353 with 159 hits, 27 doubles and 11 stolen bases. In the 1996 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals Gwynn batted .308 with 4 hits. In 1997 Gwynn played in 149 games and batted .372 with 17 home runs and 119 RBI’s off 220 hits, 49 doubles and 12 stolen bases, finishing in 6th place in NL MVP voting.

In 1998 Gwynn played in 127 games and batted .321 with 16 home runs and 69 RBI’s off 148 hits and 35 doubles. In what would be his final postseason appearance Gwynn had 17 combined hits with 3 doubles. Gwynn batted .371 in the 1998 World Series against the New York Yankees, the same average he batted in the 1984 World Series.

In 1999 Gwynn played in 111 games and batted .338 with 10 home runs, 139 hits, 27 doubles. The 1999 MLB All-Star Game, well regarded as one of the most special All-Star Games in sports history, would be Tony Gwynn’s final All-Star Game appearance, which would be his 15th. Gwynn would get his 3,000th career hit off Dan Smith of the Montreal Expos on August 6.

From here Gwynn would gradually bow out from the game of baseball gracefully as he played in only 36 games in 2000, batting .323. His final year in MLB was in 2001 where he played in 71 games and batted .324.

Leaving everything on the baseball diamond, Tony Gwynn would accomplish a lot as he ended up being an 8-time NL Batting Champion (1984, 1987-1989, 1994-1997), a 5-time Gold Glove winner (1986, 1987, 1989-1991), and a 7-time Silver Slugger winner (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997). Gwynn was also the recipient of awards such as the Branch Rickey Award in 1995, the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1998, the Roberto Clemente Award in 1999 and the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award in 2001.

After retiring from baseball as a player Gwynn moved on to serve as the manager of the San Diego State University Aztecs in college baseball for 12 seasons, where he would go an even 363-363 at the helm. In 2007 Gwynn would be inducted to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, receiving 97.6% of votes on the first ballot.

In 2010 Gwynn began his fight against cancer as he was officially diagnosed with Salivary Gland Neoplasm. He underwent numerous rounds of treatment since 2010, but on June 16, 2014 Tony Gwynn died of cardiac arrest due to complications from his cancer. 10 days later on June 26 the San Diego Padres held a public memorial service for Gwynn at Petco Park. The #19 jersey of Tony Gwynn has long been retired, since September 4, 2004, and it serves as a reminder of his legacy in the game of baseball. Gwynn will be remembered for not just his amazing talent as a player, but also for his kindness, generosity, dignity and modesty as it was all genuine.