Tony Gwynn

Anthony Keith "Tony " Gwynn (born May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. One of the best hitters of all-time, Gwynn played for the San Diego Padres his entire career (1982-2001). He threw and batted left-handed.

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A graduate of San Diego State University - where he also played basketball and set a school record for assists, Gwynn broke in with San Diego as a part-time outfielder in 1982, appearing in 54 games and batting .289. It would be the last time he would hit below .300 in the major leagues. Gwynn's breakthrough season was in 1984, when he hit .351, won the first of his eight batting titles (tying him with Honus Wagner for the National League record), and made the first of his 15 All-Star appearances.

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Nicknamed "Captain Video" because of the extensive collection of videotapes he kept, Gwynn constantly studied his swing to improve his hitting.

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Gwynn was also proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1986-91). Primarily a right fielder, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right and center field. 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, Gwynn might have become the first batter to eclipse the .400 mark in more than 50 years.

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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. His jersey number 19 was retired by San Diego in 2004.

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Since his retirement, Gwynn has worked as a color commentator for the ESPN network and as head baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State. SDSU's baseball stadium, which was largely funded out of his own pocket, is named after him. Gwynn's brother, Chris, was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres (1987-96) http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gwynnch01.shtml.

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

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May 9: May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). There are 236 days remaining....

1960: 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar)....

Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles, California...

Tony Gwynn related Images and Photos (experimental)

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