Gwynn, Tony

Tony Gwynn, byname of Anthony Keith Gwynn, (born May 9, 1960, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died June 16, 2014, Poway, California), American professional baseball player who, while with the San Diego Padres (1982–2001), became one of the sport’s all-time best singles hitters. He threw and batted from the left side.

Gwynn attended San Diego State University (California) on a basketball scholarship, where he set a school record for assists as the team’s point guard. He also excelled at baseball and was drafted in 1981 by both the San Diego Clippers (later the Los Angeles Clippers), of the National Basketball Association, and by the San Diego Padres, of Major League Baseball. He chose the Padres, and during the 1982 season he was called up from their minor league team to play. He played his entire career as an outfielder with the Padres.

Tony Gwynn

In 1984 Gwynn hit .351 and helped his club reach the World Series. In the 1994 strike-shortened season he hit .394, the best batting average since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Although the Padres lost to the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series, Gwynn hit .500 (8 for 16), with 1 home run and 3 runs batted in. His success at the plate was due to outstanding hand-eye coordination, an instinct for pitch selection, and a batting technique that was refined through countless hours of video analysis. He was not a power hitter, but he developed one of the sport’s most efficient swings, reaching base on line drives and sharply hit grounders.

Gwynn’s career highlights include setting the National League (NL) record for most consecutive seasons hitting .300 or better (19), tying the NL record for most batting titles (8), and being the 22nd player to reach 3,000 hits. Though Gwynn was best known for his offense, he also developed into a solid defensive player after initially struggling in the outfield. He was a five-time Gold Glove recipient (1986–87, 1989–91). He retired from professional baseball at the end of the 2001 season, and in 2002 he became the head baseball coach at San Diego State University. Gwynn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2007. In 2010 he was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland; four years later he died from the disease.