Baseball Hall of Famer and Padres’ legend Tony Gwynn died of cancer at the age of 54 today. “Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn,” commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement Monday.
“The greatest Padre ever and one of the most accomplished hitters that our game has ever known, whose all-around excellence on the field was surpassed by his exuberant personality and genial disposition in life.”
Gwynn, who played his entire 20-year MLB career with the Padres from 1982-2001, was one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. He retired with a .338 batting average and 3,141 hits.
Gwynn was an eight-time National League batting champion and he also led the National League in hits seven times. Mr. Padre was elected to 15 All-Star games and led San Diego to its only two World Series appearances, in 1984 and 1998, was beloved by all fans across the country.
Famous athletes across the sports world have already made known their thoughts and prayers for the Gwynn family on twitter, including Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria and Chicago Bears’ star Lance Briggs. Gwynn’s son, Tony Gwynn, Jr., who is an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, shared this on Twitter Monday morning:
Today I lost my Dad, my best friend and my mentor. I’m gonna miss u so much pops. I’m gonna do everything in my power to continue to make you proud! Love you Pops!
The entire Through the Fence Baseball community sends our thoughts and prayers to the Gwynn family. May he rest in peace.
