Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn Has Died at Age 54

[ucfgrad93]

Tony Gwynn, the greatest player in San Diego Padres history and a Hall of Famer who studied the art of hitting with Ted Williams, died Monday morning after an extended battle with cancer.

He was 54.

Gwynn, whose 3,141 hits rank 19th on the all-time list, spent his entire 20-season career with the Padres, and was as revered for his upbeat and affable nature as his lifetime .338 average and eight batting titles. He earned election to the Hall of Fame with an overwhelming 97.6% of the vote, earning induction alongside Cal Ripken Jr.

Tony was a class player and person, and 54 is way too young to die. My condolences to his family.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...uary-san-diego-padres-hall-of-famer/10581267/

 

[rhett7660]

Way to young.......... He is one of the players during the 80's and 90's you did not want to see come up to the plate if anybody was on base lol!

RIP Tony..............

 

[carlgo]

Met him once at a kid's baseball camp, a nice guy and very approachable. Was a very respected player and he always seemed to kill the Giants

 

[Silencio]

Best pure hitter I ever saw, and a really class guy. Gone way too soon. Stay away from the chewing tobacco, folks.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Met him once at a kid's baseball camp, a nice guy and very approachable. Was a very respected player and he always seemed to kill the Giants

Gwynn killed everybody. He assembled some of his best offensive numbers against the top pitchers in the game, and that tells you just about all you need to know about Tony Gwynn. Greg Maddux said that Gwynn was the only batter he faced who could see the speed of a pitch. And, besides being one of the best hitters in any generation, he was a truly nice person by all reports. Vin Scully in his tribute said that talking to Gwynn always brightened his day.

 

[Lancetx]

He was not only a hall of fame player, but also a hall of fame gentleman. The story linked below is just one great example of many. He was a true treasure and will be sorely missed, especially by those of us who idolized him while growing up and followed his entire career. RIP Tony, you did more good in this world than you know.

http://deadspin.com/i-was-tony-gwynns-bat-boy-1592123043

 

[larrylaffer]

Gwynn killed everybody. He assembled some of his best offensive numbers against the top pitchers in the game, and that tells you just about all you need to know about Tony Gwynn. Greg Maddux said that Gwynn was the only batter he faced who could see the speed of a pitch. And, besides being one of the best hitters in any generation, he was a truly nice person by all reports. Vin Scully in his tribute said that talking to Gwynn always brightened his day.

I remember as a kid cringing when he would come to the plate against the Dodgers. What a talent he was.