Tony Gwynn, who won a record eight National League batting championships, amassed 3,141 hits and gained acclaim as one of baseball's most passionate students of the art of hitting, died yesterday in Poway, Calif. He was 54.
His death was announced by Major League Baseball.
Gwynn had undergone surgery for cancer of the mouth and salivary glands in recent years and had been on medical leave since spring as the baseball coach at San Diego State, his alma mater. He attributed the cancer to having dipped tobacco throughout his career.
Playing all 20 of his major-league seasons with the often lackluster San Diego Padres, in one of baseball's lesser media markets, and usually shunning home run swings in favor of well-struck hits, Gwynn wasn't one of baseball's more charismatic figures. And his pudgy 5-foot-11, 215-pound frame did not evoke streamlined athleticism.
He simply possessed a brilliant consistency with his left-handed batting stroke, compiling a career batting average of .338. He was also a Gold Glove-winning outfielder and an outstanding base stealer as well before knee injuries took their toll.
Gwynn, a 15-time All-Star, entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 after garnering 97.6 percent of sportswriters' votes in his first year of eligibility.
Gwynn made his debut with the Padres in July 1982. Two years later, he captured his first batting championship, hitting .351. He also stole 33 bases and struck out only 23 times in 606 at-bats that year, propelling the Padres to the first pennant in their history, though they lost to the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.
Deacon Jones, the Padres' hitting coach that season, marveled at Gwynn's bat control.
"He'll get some funky hits and then he'll hit a line drive that you could hang three weeks' wash on," Jones said. "There isn't a pitcher in the league who wants Tony Gwynn up with a runner on third base. You know he'll make contact."
Gwynn was hitting .394 in the summer of 1994, with a chance to become baseball's first .400 hitter since Ted Williams batted .406 for the Boston Red Sox in 1941, when a players strike ended the season on Aug. 12. He settled for achieving the NL's highest batting average since Bill Terry hit .401 for the New York Giants in 1930.
Anthony Keith Gwynn was born on May 9, 1960, in Los Angeles. His family moved to Long Beach when he was 9. He was recruited by San Diego State as a basketball point guard and became an outstanding playmaker there, but he was also an All-American outfielder and was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 baseball draft.
Gwynn shared the record of eight NL batting championships with Honus Wagner, a total exceeded only by Ty Cobb's 12 American League titles. Gwynn won five Gold Glove awards, playing mostly in right field, and stole 319 bases.
After hitting .324 in 2001, his final season, he became the San Diego State baseball coach. He was also a game and studio analyst for ESPN.
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