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Anthony Keith Gwynn (born May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, California,) is a former Major League Baseball player often considered one of the best hitters in baseball history. It appears certain that he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2007.

He was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft (the 58th player chosen overall) and played for the San Diego Padres his entire career (1982-2001). He threw and batted left-handed. His uniform number was #19, which was retired in 2002

In honor of Tony Gwynn's long service to the San Diego Padres and the community, the address of the Padres' ballpark, Petco Park, is 19 Tony Gwynn Way. Ironically, though it is named after an outstanding hitter, it is regarded as a pitcher-friendly ballpark.

Contents 1 Career 2 Achievements and honors 3 Career statistics 4 Related links 5 External links

Career

A graduate of San Diego State University, Gwynn was also a standout point guard on the Aztecs' basketball team, setting a school record for assists. The same day the Padres drafted him, Tony Gwynn was also selected by the-then San Diego Clippers in the 10th round of the National Basketball Association draft.

Nicknamed "Captain Video" due to his extensive use of videotape, Tony Gwynn constantly studied his swing, always looking for some way, no matter how minor, to improve his hitting. Surprisingly, though, his bats were relatively small Louisville Slugger (model #B276C,) measuring 33 inches and weighing just 30 1/2-ounces, far smaller than those of his contemporary, 5-time American League batting champion Wade Boggs, who used Louisville Slugger's #B439 model. Gwynn began using the smaller bats while playing his first season of professional ball for San Diego's A-level Walla Walla Padres minor league club in 1981 because he was having trouble adapting to wood bats and wanted something of a similar weight to the aluminum bats he used in college.

Even though Gwynn was batting .360 at the time, he felt that the larger bats were hampering him because he had to choke up so far — and he was breaking a lot of bats. The major league clubs were on strike at the time, and the Padres sent their minor league clubs their bats, and Gwynn picked out the smallest ones he could find. They were actually for a first baseman named Mike Ivie. He used those bats despite still having to choke up what he felt was abnormally high; Gwynn simply liked the feel of the handles. Later, he bought several 33 inch, 30 1/2-ounce Little League bats at a Eugene, Oregon sporting goods store. Using his new lumber, Gwynn hit home runs in each of the next five games.

Gwynn joined the Padres in July, 1982 as a backup outfielder, appearing in 54 games and batting .289. The 1982 season would be the only season in which he would bat below .300.

Gwynn's breakthrough season was 1984, when he hit .351 and won the first batting title of his illustrious career. That season, the Padres won the first National League pennant in team history, defeating the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series before losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers.

Gwynn was also a good baserunner (391 career steals) prior to gaining some weight in the last years of his career, and proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1986 to 1991 despite playing much of his career with knee problems. Over time, the left one became the more troublesome, and Gwynn has had several operations on both to halt the deterioration of the joints. Today, he uses a combination of hot and cold wraps, topical ointments, and a prescription drug called Celadrin to give him relief.

Primarily a right fielder, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right field and center fields.

In 1994 Gwynn batted .394; the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the season not been shortened by a strike, pundits believe that Tony Gwynn might have become the first batter to eclipse the magical .400 mark in more than 50 years.

In 1997, Gwynn reached career highs with 17 home runs and 119 runs batted in. In 1998, Gwynn batted .321 and helped the Padres win their second pennant, defeating the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. The Padres lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in a four-game sweep, despite Gwynn's home run in Game 1.

Achievements and honors

Gwynn is an eight-time National League batting champion, leading the league in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, which ties him with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner for the league record -- the all-time Major League batting titles leader is Ty Cobb, who has 11 American League batting titles.

He is also a 15-time All-Star, and was voted as a starter by the fans in 11 of the games.

Although he has 135 career home runs, Gwynn described himself as a contact hitter who could hit to all fields. He rarely struck out (just 434 times,) and his goal was to put the ball in play and move baserunners over. He was also an outstanding bunter.

In 1999, while still active as one of baseball's best hitters, he ranked Number 49 on The Sporting News'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Gwynn retired in 2001 with a total of 3,141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338. He played his entire career with the Padres, a rarity in the 1980s and 1990s, and is considered by many to be the best player to ever wear a Padres jersey. Gwynn becomes eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Since his retirement, Gwynn has worked as a color commentator for ESPN and is currently the head baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State University. In 1997, Smith Stadium, the school's baseball facility, was extensively renovated. Gwynn helped finance the estimated $4M USD project and it was renamed Tony Gwynn Stadium in his honor.

Gwynn's brother, Chris, was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres (1987-96) [1].

Gwynn is the father of R&B artist Anisha Nicole and minor league outfielder Anthony Gwynn.

He will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Career statistics

Red statistics indicate league leader status

YEAR	TEAM	LG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA
1982	SD	N	54	190	33	55	12	2	1	17	14	16	8	3	.289
1983	SD	N	86	304	34	94	12	2	1	37	23	21	7	4	.309
1984	SD	N	158	606	88	213	21	10	5	71	59	23	33	18	.351
1985	SD	N	154	622	90	197	29	5	6	46	45	33	14	11	.317
1986	SD	N	160	642	107	211	33	7	14	59	52	35	37	9	.329
1987	SD	N	157	589	119	218	36	13	7	54	82	35	56	12	.370
1988	SD	N	133	521	64	163	22	5	7	70	51	40	26	11	.313
1989	SD	N	158	604	82	203	27	7	4	62	56	30	40	16	.336
1990	SD	N	141	573	79	177	29	10	4	72	44	23	17	8	.309
1991	SD	N	134	530	69	168	27	11	4	62	34	19	8	8	.317
1992	SD	N	128	520	77	165	27	3	6	41	46	16	3	6	.317
1993	SD	N	122	489	70	175	41	3	7	59	36	19	14	1	.358
1994	SD	N	110	419	79	165	35	1	12	64	48	19	5	0	.394
1995	SD	N	135	535	82	197	33	1	9	90	35	15	17	5	.368
1996	SD	N	116	451	67	159	27	2	3	50	39	17	11	4	.353
1997	SD	N	149	592	97	220	49	2	17	119	43	28	12	5	.372
1998	SD	N	127	461	65	148	35	0	16	69	35	18	3	1	.321
1999	SD	N	111	411	59	139	27	0	10	62	29	14	7	2	.338
2000	SD	N	36	127	17	41	12	0	1	17	9	4	0	1	.323
2001	SD	N	71	102	5	33	9	1	1	17	10	9	1	0	.324
			G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA
20 Seasons			2440	9288	1383	3141	543	85	135	1138	790	434	319	125	.338

Related links

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of NL Gold Glove Winners at Outfield
• List of NL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield
• Major League Baseball titles leaders
• Major League Baseball titles streaks

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• Baseball Library
• The Baseball Page
• Hickok Sports
• The Baseball Cube MLB and Minor League Stats

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