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safe to say that will all those batting titles RIP. Son hated his tobacco addiction. Kirby Puckett won two World Series is only reason i think he is Bigger winner.
I grew up here in San Diego I was a right handed batter. As a kid he was a lefty. I was born in 1977 . When I watched him on TV I would put my stance lefty. Classic still live here in San Diego lets go Padre.
I remember growing up in the 80’s and 90’s and my first exposure to Tony Gwynn was watching the World Series. Tony was hired by the broadcast networks to do a breakdown of every pitcher for both teams - what pitches they threw, what they were good at, how they tried to get batters out, and what batters needed to do to be successful against that pitcher. They rolled these clips at the start of the game and every time a reliever was brought in. Tony not only had a ridiculous baseball IQ, but he was very articulate without coming across as arrogant or condescending.
He never left us He stayed loyal to his home and his team I cry every time I go to Petco park and see that statue He is Mr.Padre now and forever Was he the greatest to ever do it? Maybe Was he the greatest in our eyes? Yes, yes he was Miss ya Tony 🤎💛
As a kid growing up in San Diego, Tony Gwynn is my baseball hero. While being a legendary hitter, he meant so much more to the city and earned the nickname “Mr. Padre.” When he passed, I felt like I lost a part of baseball forever. Videos like this that keep his legacy alive for the new generations of baseball fans always make me feel like a kid again, watching my hero take the field one more time.
Best pure hitter I ever saw play. I'm not old enough to have witnessed Ted Williams, but I watched Tony's entire career. Great hitter, but an even greater human being. His laugh could brighten anyone's day. RIP #19
I wish he would have watched his health as we miss him in SD, but it was his life to live. At least we have Tony Jr doing broadcasts. Thanks for the well made video.
@@superbowlchamps52 "Gwynn was just 54 when he died following a tumultuous battle with parotid (mouth) cancer. While multiple factors could have contributed to his cancer, Gwynn was always adamant that a chewing tobacco habit that he kept up long after his playing days was the the culprit." You can go yell at Tony's grave about being judgemental, I guess...
Tony Gwynn was the nicest guy. He was doing a batting class at NIKE Town PDX. I brought some cards and the Beckett with him and Fred McGriff on it. I was the first kid to get his autograph and he wanted to use my new Sharpie. I said you can have it. He said no, just stand here and talk to me while I sign every autograph , and if the pen runs out of ink, I’ll take you to the store and buy you another pen. WOW, first class all the way. I was so stoked!
One of my favorite memories is of Tony Gwynn. Back when I played traveling ball when I was sixteen, we played in a tournament down in SD. Our coach took us to check out SD States facilities and we were going to do some drills on the field. That alone was something we were all looking forward to. As we wrapped some quick fielding drills our coach called us into the dugout to go over what he wanted us to focus on during BP. He wrapped up and as we were all about to jump off the bench to take the field again, he says "Oh, just one more thing." At that moment who comes around the corner but Tony Gwynn. He process to talk to us for about 30 minutes about hitting and from that point on it completely changed my thoughts about hitting. He was genuinely one of the most humble and kind people I had ever met. The baseball world hasn't been the same without him.
I used to worship Gwynn as a kid. Collect every Sport Illustrated magazine with an article about him. Collect coins to buy newspapers to see his batting average. I grew up in the 80s where batting average and manufacturing runs were the game. Want to mention that he has. 338 batting average playing half his career when ERAs were relatively low. He also played at a pitcher friendly park, and thank you for mentioning that he has no one to protect him in the lineup. Gwynn is the best hitter of all time. Was happy to see his inside the park grand slam at Dodgers stadium. One of my best memories. RIP Tony Gwynn. The greatest hitter of all time
Growing up in SD in the 80s, Tony was my idol. It wasn't until years later that I realized how loved he was by baseball fans everywhere. We worship him in SD, so hearing the overwhelming love was heartwarming. We missed so much with his passing early.
As a kid growing up in Southern California I didn't really care about baseball, but I still loved Tony Gwynn. As far as I can tell _everyone_ loved Tony Gwynn. He just seemed like the nicest, friendliest guy. He was great with fans, smiled and laughed and seemingly had a great time in every public appearance, and then went out and got hits. He also seemed quite happy to stay in San Diego, which was great. I don't think I've ever met a baseball fan who doesn't at least like Tony Gwynn.
Tony was such a wizard. I didn't get to watch him in the 80s because I was too little, but he was just so dominant in the 90s. Obviously his average doesn't bear this out, but it really felt like Gwynn got a hit every single time he needed one. It was just so impressive watching him, and equally as impressive listening to him break down hitting. I miss him.
you've become my favorite baseball youtuber. I appreciate you not treating your viewers like idiots and explaining every single stat in every single video. no lame attempts at jokes either. good shit
Gwynn took two vcr's on the road with him. One to watch tapes he had the other to tape games so he could watch those tapes later. Gifted hitter who consistently worked to improve his skill set.
Best pure hitter and complete baseball player of that era and any other. I am an Orioles fan and was in awe of him. So thankful Tony and Cal went into HOF at the same time, we will never see the likes of either again.
Gwynn Sr. was a consummate professional and humble as the day is long. Gave pitchers such fits, even Greg Maddux had to acknowledge it and Maddux was one of the most intelligent to lace a pair of cleats. If you can consistently outwit a genius that says something. Takes a legend to fool a legend
Tony was absolutely the best hitter of his generation, and arguably of all time. He was and still remains one of my favorite players. The strikeout rate alone is astounding, especially through the lens of today's game. I saw a stat earlier today that he had more 4-hit games than 2-strikeout ones. 🤯
*Tony Gwynn hit .309 or better every full season of his career. *Tony Gwynn walked more than he struck out for 19 straight seasons. This is one of the longest streaks in history but is made even more impressive when you remember that Gwynn rarely walked (only one time did he reach 60 walks in a season). *Tony Gwynn struck out 434 times in his entire career. *Tony Gwynn struck out three times in a game once. *Tony Gwynn did not strike out in back-to-back games during the entire 1992 season. *Tony Gwynn faced Greg Maddux 107 times and never struck out against him. *The most times Tony Gwynn struck out vs. any pitcher was nine, against Nolan Ryan (in 67 plate appearances). He still hit .300 against Ryan, one of very few who could claim that distinction. *Tony Gwynn hit .343 at home and .334 on the road. *Tony Gwynn hit .345 against righties and .325 against lefties. *Tony Gwynn hit .346 in April, .333 in May, .344 in June, .325 in July, .348 in August, and .333 in September.
LOVE the respect for Tony. He is truly a San Diego legend and the love from this city to Tony and his family can't be quantified. Happy I got to grow up watching him play. He truly was Mr. San Diego. Hope we can win a ring one day for him. RIP Tony, a true Legend.
As a fan of both growing up, it's not surprising to hear after his passing that they were good friends. With unique batting eyes they had those must've been some fascinating conversations just like Tony's conversations with Ted Williams.
@@AEMoreira81 I particularly enjoyed the stat about facing the "greats" for over 500 games and batting over 300 against them all. The Maddux stat helped in that regard.
Born /'51(Balboa Naval Hospital), raised and used to bleed San Diego (SD became a mini version of LA). So many greats came through and went on to greatness elsewhere. We always called the SD sports teams - the farm system for all of the other professional sports teams. That is another thing to brag about with Tony Gwynn, he did the unthinkable - he stayed in San Diego. He made Padre baseball fun to watch. RIP Tony, your legacy continues at SDSU. EDIT: He wasn't as loyal geographically (San Diego was a small town and couldn't contain him) but The San Diego Chicken (AKA - the KGB Chicken) was another highlight from So Cal. He was the original and best "mascot" of all time. What an imagination that guy had for entertainment. Thinking about Tony is bringing up way too many memories, I'm going to stop now. Thanks for rattling the past for me.
I had the privilege of watching Tony Gwynn play basketball for SDSU. Many people were convinced, myself included, that Tony was headed for a terrific career in the NBA. To this day, I am so grateful that he chose baseball instead. As this video stated, Tony meant more to San Diego than words could describe. He was a better human than he was a baseball player.
i had no idea he was such a legend. I'm english and i got into baseball around 1997. so he was on his way out and i never gave him attention at the time. san diego were lucky to have him
I think Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn are the two greatest/smartest hitters of all time. They just cared more than everyone else to learn as much as humanly possible about the art of hitting a baseball.
Out of all his insane stats the .302 w/2 strikes and his stats against the ATL big three and others like Pedro Martinez are what have always struck me the most.
I kind of will like to see a compilation video of the times Gwynn struck out just to see that it actually happened. I know that he did, but I don't think I ever seen it myself.
I love seeing Tony Gwynn get some appreciation. Such a cool stat you presented: the dude hit .302 with two strikes. As a Giants fan, I can proudly state that Gwynn was beloved in the Bay Area. He killed our team so man times, and yet he was such a nice guy you just couldn't hate on him. Absolute legend. P.S. Gwynn's only regret was that he used chewing tobacco for decades, which led to his cancer. In his later years he spent a lot of time advocating against chewing tobacco, so thought I would mention that here as a sign of respect to his legacy.
Mr Padres must have a fantastic plate discipline, phenomenal reaction and maybe the best plate vision in all of baseball he is underrated and should be praised more
I was 11 and rooting for the Yankees in the 98 World Series when I first really warched Gwynn hit. The guy was amazing, and it was only far later that I learned that he personally felt his vision was falling off by that point in his career. I wonder how good the vision of Tony Gwynn, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio was at their peaks.
Couple side notes... in 1983/84/85, Gwynn was complemented by Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, Garry Templeton, HoF Closer Goose Goaasage and budding Ace Eric Show. The first two have strong cases for Hof. With Garvey having a carrer BA of .295, 10 AS, 1 MVP. In 1998, Gwynn was supported by Ken Camaniti, Steve Finley, Wally Joyner and Greg Vaughn. All who had respectable careers. Biggest issue that faced Gwynn was the fact the Padres have always been a Small Market team. In 1984, the million dollar contracts for Gossage and Garvey killed them. Payroll costs caused frequent Post-Season Fire Sales. Prime Examples, the trading of Joe Carter and Sandy Alomar for young Fred McGriff and Tony Fendandez... both of which were traded away a couple of years later... Because they did well enough to demand more money.
Steve Garvey was a damn good player. But it’s a stretch to say his Hall case is very strong. Most of his career was at first base, yet he only managed 272 home runs, and had only five seasons where he drove in more than a 100 runs. To compare, 1B Eddie Murray played 20 seasons with a career BA of .287 and 3,255 hits coupled with 504 home runs.
@@kramalerav OK, let's compare... Garvey has one MVP, Murray has Zero. Garvey's OPS+ = 117. Murray's 129. So Murray has only 12 points higher. Note for those unaware, OPS is On-base Percentage and Slugging Percentage adjusted based on stadiums played. Garvey had 4 Gold Gloves, Murray 3. Garvey had 10 All-Star appearances, Murray had 8. Murray has ROY. Murray broke single-season record for Sac. Flies with 128. Garvey had 6 seasons where he started in every regular season game... Murray only did that once. Murray has three world series appearances, with one win. Steve Garvey was on five WS teams, one win. Yes, Murray had slightly better Offensive, with Garvey having slightly better Defensive...
Forgot... Murray has 3 Silver Slugger awards. Garvey has zero. Garvey has one All-Star MVP, two NLCS MVP Awards, one Roberto Clemente Award and one Lou Gehrig Award. Murray has zero of any. The Clemente award is for Community work, and the Lou Gehrig Memorial award is for on and off field performance. Both are only given to one player each season. Also notable, of those that received the Lou Gehrig award, of the 69 awarded, only 10 eligible for HoF are not inducted.
One of these baseball fan channels recently did a video on the longest number of games on base streaks in baseball. I was amazed that Tony Glynn wasn't even close to the all time leaders. He was one of the greatest hitters, seldom struck out, but didn't collect an unusual number of bases on balls. He was such a great hitter, it appears he could always put the ball in play. And fortunately for us, about .325 % of the time it was for a hit.
As a kid growing up with the Twins and Kirby Puckett as THE Twin for 15 years, Mr. Gwynn was a little bit of an enigma for us American League kids...but, with the interwebs and RUclips, my God, was Gwynn a hitter! Arguable the best since Ted Williams. What a student of hitting, absolute respect for Mr. Padre!
Well done. Tony Gwynn was the best hitter that I've ever seen, but I am biased. I watched him my entire life. It was special to see Ted Williams and Tony get together and for them to talk about hitting. San Diego breeds sports excellence. Don't even get me started on Heisman Trophies. Tony Gwynn was so good...I was a kid, tuned in to my Am radio and just knew that he would get a hit. The Padres losses didn't seem to matter at some point. It was about a singular Padre getting a hit and even the batting title. Tony Gwynn made losing bearable.
Growing up on the Oregon Coast, we only got the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS. When I joined the Navy, I spent 8 years in San Diego and went to Petco any time the Braves or Cubs were in town. But after a while, I started to love the Padres and they became my team. Tony was not flashy, but he was clearly the best player on the field, every time he stepped up to the plate. I always felt sorry for him because he was virtually ignored by the media, in favor of the steroid freaks. He should have at least 2 MVP awards. I've never seen a player as loved by his city as Tony was in San Diego though, and he seemed content with that.
The strangest thing about Gwynn aside from his non-existent strikeout rate was the fact that he never walked either. Wade Boggs didn't strike out much, but he did walk over 100 times 4 straight years and averaged 94BB per 162 games. Gwynn? His career high was 59 and only averaged 54 per 162. He basically just swung at everything and always put it in play in some fashion. I don't think anyone has ever been better at putting the bat on the ball.
@@flame-sky7148 Tony also didn't walk a whole lot. He let his awesome hitting do the talking. But then, Wade Boggs had over 1,400 walks, almost twice what Gwynn had, so Boggs' on base %, was alot higher cuz of his great eye at the plate, to go along 3,010 hits. Both those hitters, 👍⚾️ Wow!
Greatest hitter ever. He essentially never struck out. That 3 strike out game at the beginning of the video is his unicorn game considering he averaged less than 22 per season for 20 years
I'm 64 years old, never played baseball on a team in my life. Played a little sandlot ball as a kid but maybe just a total of 5 to 10 hours worth. I started playing a couple of years ago in an over 60 league. I have no clue how to properly try to figure out what the pitcher will throw so I instead try to rely on watching to see if the ball looks like it will be a strike or not and then swing or not. So basically I wait until I see the ball's trajectory... if it looks like it will be a strike I swing, if not, don't. Luckily my reflexes are good and hand to eye not bad because I'm hitting over .550, and most of my hits are not pulled but hit to the opposite field due to my making contact late because I need to wait to see if it is a strike or not. That works in an over 60 league because few pitchers are throwing the ball faster than 60 mph... albeit the mound is 6 feet shorter to the plate... which does make reaction time difficult. But that all said... I'm a watch and swing batter and I rarely strike out.... usually one of my swings makes contact and I always swing if I see a strike coming. Oh and my batting stance is similar to Ricky Henderson... I keep my head very low... almost right right in the strike zone so I can more easily see it the ball will be a strike or not.
When I was a kid, my dad traveled because of his job. I would have the game on while my mom and I were doing housework. When I would check on the game, mom would always ask "When is Tony batting?". When he was up, she stopped everything and would come watch. He is the only player she ever cared about.
@@hens13Why are you questioning that? Gwynn and Carew are both Hall-of-Famers who won a combined 15 Batting titles. I would have loved to watch those two hit on a regular basis.
So glad someone did something on Tony Gwynn. He never received the respect he deserved. BTW it’s the 5 point 5 (5.5) hole. The area between 3rd (5) and SS (6).
8:00 the greed of the bourgeoisie ruins everything. If it wasn’t for that greed then Tony Gwynn would have made history and the MLBPA wouldn’t have been forced to strike.
Wow, the man hit over .330 on hall of fame pitchers with over 500 at bats. Great research!! You gotta factor in the specialty relief pitching that didn't exist in baseball's previous eras. I'd say he was the best. I didn't see the earlier eras. But yea that 1994 season could have been the year for Gwynn to get the national attention he deserved, but the strike ruined baseball in that era.
As far as Tony losing out on what should have been his best career season due to "the strike", politics and greed were responsible for that and will only get worse in all fields of life. That is partially why we will never see athletes like the ones that came from that era. There are so many artificial influences on all sports now that are slowly taking away from natural talent to supply the greedy corporations with their versions of how sports should be played to satisfy the "ratings". TONY GWYNN - all you can say is WOW!
Yea, I still love baseball, but something is missing in the game today. It ain’t like it used to be. I mean each era we had a Tony Gwynn, Boggs type of player. The owners are responsible for this demise. The stolen base is coming back, but it should have never left. We got guys regularly hitting .220 with 30 homers making zillions of dollars. In my opinion, that strike ruined the potential best season in the history.
@@78tag Yea, nowdays the manufacturing runs only comes up in the post season (maybe). I mean you have young generation Z content creators doing videos on great players such as George Brett, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Mike Schmidt and all these former players because the game was so much better even back then.
Not ever striking out more than 40 times a season is unfathomable to me. Tony was so Frkn good at hitting it was almost impossible for him not to hit lol
Ken Griffey Jr. is my favorite baseball player of all-time, but Tony is at the very least the greatest hitter in modern baseball history. Big time name players today have a rough time putting consecutive .300 seasons, this man made a career out of it and was a revolutionary figure in the way video is used as a scouting tool in baseball. All that being said, I think he is grossly underappreciated as a legend of the game, especially throughout the steroids era.
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safe to say that will all those batting titles RIP. Son hated his tobacco addiction. Kirby Puckett won two World Series is only reason i think he is Bigger winner.
Screw Acuna. Go phils
I grew up here in San Diego I was a right handed batter. As a kid he was a lefty. I was born in 1977 . When I watched him on TV I would put my stance lefty. Classic still live here in San Diego lets go Padre.
I remember growing up in the 80’s and 90’s and my first exposure to Tony Gwynn was watching the World Series. Tony was hired by the broadcast networks to do a breakdown of every pitcher for both teams - what pitches they threw, what they were good at, how they tried to get batters out, and what batters needed to do to be successful against that pitcher. They rolled these clips at the start of the game and every time a reliever was brought in. Tony not only had a ridiculous baseball IQ, but he was very articulate without coming across as arrogant or condescending.
He never left us
He stayed loyal to his home and his team
I cry every time I go to Petco park and see that statue
He is Mr.Padre now and forever
Was he the greatest to ever do it?
Maybe
Was he the greatest in our eyes?
Yes, yes he was
Miss ya Tony
🤎💛
You forgot the part where he constantly gave so much back to the community
@@niakain9194 That’s part of “staying loyal to his home”.
As a kid growing up in San Diego, Tony Gwynn is my baseball hero. While being a legendary hitter, he meant so much more to the city and earned the nickname “Mr. Padre.” When he passed, I felt like I lost a part of baseball forever. Videos like this that keep his legacy alive for the new generations of baseball fans always make me feel like a kid again, watching my hero take the field one more time.
As a fellow unicorn, Tony will always be like a favorite Uncle to us 80s/90s babies.
I was a big fan too
Go phils
I first watched him play when he was playing for the Hawaii Islanders
Best pure hitter I ever saw play. I'm not old enough to have witnessed Ted Williams, but I watched Tony's entire career. Great hitter, but an even greater human being. His laugh could brighten anyone's day. RIP #19
Ya Tony was amazing player. One of the best I ever seen that's for sure
Ummmm, how about Ichiro?
@dickgrayson4325 Ya if someone said same thing about Ichiro, I wouldn't argue against it. They're both legends
I grew up in SD in the 90s. Tony was a god to me. Let’s see if I can get thru this video without tearing up.. rip Tony
I wish he would have watched his health as we miss him in SD, but it was his life to live. At least we have Tony Jr doing broadcasts. Thanks for the well made video.
“It was his life to live” hits man, you’re so right. We all get caught up judging each other
Tony Jr sounds just like his dad…
watched his health? sounds like judgement to me... Tony was a legend don't soil his name by implying his demise was his fault.
@@superbowlchamps52
Tony Gwynn died of died of salivary gland cancer as a direct result of chewing tobacco for decades.
@@superbowlchamps52 "Gwynn was just 54 when he died following a tumultuous battle with parotid (mouth) cancer. While multiple factors could have contributed to his cancer, Gwynn was always adamant that a chewing tobacco habit that he kept up long after his playing days was the the culprit."
You can go yell at Tony's grave about being judgemental, I guess...
Tony Gwynn was the nicest guy. He was doing a batting class at NIKE Town PDX. I brought some cards and the Beckett with him and Fred McGriff on it. I was the first kid to get his autograph and he wanted to use my new Sharpie. I said you can have it. He said no, just stand here and talk to me while I sign every autograph , and if the pen runs out of ink, I’ll take you to the store and buy you another pen. WOW, first class all the way. I was so stoked!
The 2 strike avg @ .302 compared to Boggs @ .262 ........is .......MIND BLOWING! That's absurd! TY for this video!
One of my favorite memories is of Tony Gwynn. Back when I played traveling ball when I was sixteen, we played in a tournament down in SD. Our coach took us to check out SD States facilities and we were going to do some drills on the field. That alone was something we were all looking forward to. As we wrapped some quick fielding drills our coach called us into the dugout to go over what he wanted us to focus on during BP. He wrapped up and as we were all about to jump off the bench to take the field again, he says "Oh, just one more thing." At that moment who comes around the corner but Tony Gwynn. He process to talk to us for about 30 minutes about hitting and from that point on it completely changed my thoughts about hitting. He was genuinely one of the most humble and kind people I had ever met. The baseball world hasn't been the same without him.
I used to worship Gwynn as a kid. Collect every Sport Illustrated magazine with an article about him. Collect coins to buy newspapers to see his batting average. I grew up in the 80s where batting average and manufacturing runs were the game. Want to mention that he has. 338 batting average playing half his career when ERAs were relatively low. He also played at a pitcher friendly park, and thank you for mentioning that he has no one to protect him in the lineup. Gwynn is the best hitter of all time. Was happy to see his inside the park grand slam at Dodgers stadium. One of my best memories. RIP Tony Gwynn. The greatest hitter of all time
Growing up in SD in the 80s, Tony was my idol.
It wasn't until years later that I realized how loved he was by baseball fans everywhere. We worship him in SD, so hearing the overwhelming love was heartwarming.
We missed so much with his passing early.
He is arguable one of the best baseball players of all time
One of the most likeable to boot, he was a fan before anything. He kept that humble mindset all throughout
As a kid growing up in Southern California I didn't really care about baseball, but I still loved Tony Gwynn. As far as I can tell _everyone_ loved Tony Gwynn. He just seemed like the nicest, friendliest guy. He was great with fans, smiled and laughed and seemingly had a great time in every public appearance, and then went out and got hits. He also seemed quite happy to stay in San Diego, which was great. I don't think I've ever met a baseball fan who doesn't at least like Tony Gwynn.
He was and I met him twice as a kid - nicest human on Earth. Just chill and accommodating.
Mad respect for Tony Gwynn, from a die hard Dodger fan!!
Best hitter of all time. RIP Tony
Tony is a San Diego Legend. Growing up is SD I always loved Tony and Junior. Our 2 legends in San Diego. Legends never die.
Tony was such a wizard. I didn't get to watch him in the 80s because I was too little, but he was just so dominant in the 90s. Obviously his average doesn't bear this out, but it really felt like Gwynn got a hit every single time he needed one. It was just so impressive watching him, and equally as impressive listening to him break down hitting.
I miss him.
you've become my favorite baseball youtuber. I appreciate you not treating your viewers like idiots and explaining every single stat in every single video. no lame attempts at jokes either. good shit
Gwynn took two vcr's on the road with him. One to watch tapes he had the other to tape games so he could watch those tapes later. Gifted hitter who consistently worked to improve his skill set.
Mind you, VCRs were HEAVY at the time, as well as the equipment to record his plate appearances.
Thanks for this video, its wild that he hit .300 in 19 straight seasons. He'd probably have 14 batting titles if he played in this era of baseball.
Best pure hitter and complete baseball player of that era and any other. I am an Orioles fan and was in awe of him. So thankful Tony and Cal went into HOF at the same time, we will never see the likes of either again.
To be loved so much to be called Mr.Padre is some amazing shit
As a Dodger's Fan, I loved watching Tony Gwynn play in Chavez Ravine, he was my favorite Hitter and all in my family highly liked to watch him play.
Gwynn Sr. was a consummate professional and humble as the day is long. Gave pitchers such fits, even Greg Maddux had to acknowledge it and Maddux was one of the most intelligent to lace a pair of cleats. If you can consistently outwit a genius that says something. Takes a legend to fool a legend
I legit cried when I found out he had passed away. There will never be another like him
Tony was absolutely the best hitter of his generation, and arguably of all time. He was and still remains one of my favorite players. The strikeout rate alone is astounding, especially through the lens of today's game. I saw a stat earlier today that he had more 4-hit games than 2-strikeout ones. 🤯
Where did you see that stat? - I would like to see what else they have to say. :)
*Tony Gwynn hit .309 or better every full season of his career.
*Tony Gwynn walked more than he struck out for 19 straight seasons. This is one of the longest streaks in history but is made even more impressive when you remember that Gwynn rarely walked (only one time did he reach 60 walks in a season).
*Tony Gwynn struck out 434 times in his entire career.
*Tony Gwynn struck out three times in a game once.
*Tony Gwynn did not strike out in back-to-back games during the entire 1992 season.
*Tony Gwynn faced Greg Maddux 107 times and never struck out against him.
*The most times Tony Gwynn struck out vs. any pitcher was nine, against Nolan Ryan (in 67 plate appearances). He still hit .300 against Ryan, one of very few who could claim that distinction.
*Tony Gwynn hit .343 at home and .334 on the road.
*Tony Gwynn hit .345 against righties and .325 against lefties.
*Tony Gwynn hit .346 in April, .333 in May, .344 in June, .325 in July, .348 in August, and .333 in September.
@@MetFanMacThanks! That’s some awesome stuff.
LOVE the respect for Tony. He is truly a San Diego legend and the love from this city to Tony and his family can't be quantified. Happy I got to grow up watching him play. He truly was Mr. San Diego. Hope we can win a ring one day for him. RIP Tony, a true Legend.
Bonds and Gwynn are two of the best hitters that have graced the Diamond.
As a fan of both growing up, it's not surprising to hear after his passing that they were good friends. With unique batting eyes they had those must've been some fascinating conversations just like Tony's conversations with Ted Williams.
Bonds, never, with his drugs. Ted Williams was the best. Lost four prime years in WW11.
@@robinrobine8100I don't think that one's happened yet
@@robinrobine8100bonds was a beast without steroids, he’s just better then anyone else with them
I can't respect the accomplishments of people who take steroids
If you can get a frustrated (partially joking) insult out of THE Greg Maddux then you know youre built different
Gwynn Sr. OWNED Greg Maddux to the tune of a .415 batting average in over 100 plate appearances.
@@AEMoreira81 I particularly enjoyed the stat about facing the "greats" for over 500 games and batting over 300 against them all. The Maddux stat helped in that regard.
Tony was a joy to watch. I got to see him twice in 1985.
Born /'51(Balboa Naval Hospital), raised and used to bleed San Diego (SD became a mini version of LA). So many greats came through and went on to greatness elsewhere. We always called the SD sports teams - the farm system for all of the other professional sports teams. That is another thing to brag about with Tony Gwynn, he did the unthinkable - he stayed in San Diego. He made Padre baseball fun to watch.
RIP Tony, your legacy continues at SDSU.
EDIT: He wasn't as loyal geographically (San Diego was a small town and couldn't contain him) but The San Diego Chicken (AKA - the KGB Chicken) was another highlight from So Cal. He was the original and best "mascot" of all time. What an imagination that guy had for entertainment.
Thinking about Tony is bringing up way too many memories, I'm going to stop now. Thanks for rattling the past for me.
Total class act! Great job putting that together
tony was great,one of the best i have seen since i follow the game.also,he seem to be a genuine good guy.
I had the privilege of watching Tony Gwynn play basketball for SDSU. Many people were convinced, myself included, that Tony was headed for a terrific career in the NBA. To this day, I am so grateful that he chose baseball instead. As this video stated, Tony meant more to San Diego than words could describe. He was a better human than he was a baseball player.
Greatest hitter, great person. Miss Ya Tony RIP
If only the Padres had Tony in their lineup today. A little *consistency* would take them far!
absolute legend
i had no idea he was such a legend. I'm english and i got into baseball around 1997.
so he was on his way out and i never gave him attention at the time.
san diego were lucky to have him
I think Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn are the two greatest/smartest hitters of all time. They just cared more than everyone else to learn as much as humanly possible about the art of hitting a baseball.
Not just one of the best pure hitters of all time, but the best clutch hitter in the modern Era, master of the 5.5 hole...if you know you know
What is the 5.5 hole?
@@peteyprimo7173 The spot between player 5 and 6 on the field, meaning between third base and shortstop. It’s a natural zone for a lefty hitter 👍🏻
Im lifelong Yankees fan but Tony one of greatest players ive ever seen. He was so good 🙏
To me Tony was the most pure ballplayer I ever saw. Tony and Nolan. Those dudes WERE baseball. I wished every player was Tony or Nolan.
Out of all his insane stats the .302 w/2 strikes and his stats against the ATL big three and others like Pedro Martinez are what have always struck me the most.
I kind of will like to see a compilation video of the times Gwynn struck out just to see that it actually happened. I know that he did, but I don't think I ever seen it myself.
RIP Mr. Padre🙏🏽
I love seeing Tony Gwynn get some appreciation. Such a cool stat you presented: the dude hit .302 with two strikes. As a Giants fan, I can proudly state that Gwynn was beloved in the Bay Area. He killed our team so man times, and yet he was such a nice guy you just couldn't hate on him. Absolute legend.
P.S. Gwynn's only regret was that he used chewing tobacco for decades, which led to his cancer. In his later years he spent a lot of time advocating against chewing tobacco, so thought I would mention that here as a sign of respect to his legacy.
I’ve been fiending for Tony Gwynn videos recently
Mr Padres must have a fantastic plate discipline, phenomenal reaction and maybe the best plate vision in all of baseball he is underrated and should be praised more
I can barely watch these without tears
Still holds the career assist record at San Diego State
We miss him dearly
The 1993 Rockies played at Mile High Stadium. Coors wasn't built yet.
Him and Ichiro. It’s just a beautiful thing to watch.
I was 11 and rooting for the Yankees in the 98 World Series when I first really warched Gwynn hit. The guy was amazing, and it was only far later that I learned that he personally felt his vision was falling off by that point in his career.
I wonder how good the vision of Tony Gwynn, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio was at their peaks.
One of the true greats.
Couple side notes... in 1983/84/85, Gwynn was complemented by Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, Garry Templeton, HoF Closer Goose Goaasage and budding Ace Eric Show. The first two have strong cases for Hof. With Garvey having a carrer BA of .295, 10 AS, 1 MVP.
In 1998, Gwynn was supported by Ken Camaniti, Steve Finley, Wally Joyner and Greg Vaughn. All who had respectable careers.
Biggest issue that faced Gwynn was the fact the Padres have always been a Small Market team. In 1984, the million dollar contracts for Gossage and Garvey killed them. Payroll costs caused frequent Post-Season Fire Sales. Prime Examples, the trading of Joe Carter and Sandy Alomar for young Fred McGriff and Tony Fendandez... both of which were traded away a couple of years later... Because they did well enough to demand more money.
Steve Garvey was a damn good player. But it’s a stretch to say his Hall case is very strong. Most of his career was at first base, yet he only managed 272 home runs, and had only five seasons where he drove in more than a 100 runs.
To compare, 1B Eddie Murray played 20 seasons with a career BA of .287 and 3,255 hits coupled with 504 home runs.
@@kramalerav OK, let's compare... Garvey has one MVP, Murray has Zero.
Garvey's OPS+ = 117. Murray's 129. So Murray has only 12 points higher.
Note for those unaware, OPS is On-base Percentage and Slugging Percentage adjusted based on stadiums played.
Garvey had 4 Gold Gloves, Murray 3.
Garvey had 10 All-Star appearances, Murray had 8.
Murray has ROY.
Murray broke single-season record for Sac. Flies with 128.
Garvey had 6 seasons where he started in every regular season game... Murray only did that once.
Murray has three world series appearances, with one win.
Steve Garvey was on five WS teams, one win.
Yes, Murray had slightly better Offensive, with Garvey having slightly better Defensive...
Forgot... Murray has 3 Silver Slugger awards. Garvey has zero.
Garvey has one All-Star MVP, two NLCS MVP Awards, one Roberto Clemente Award and one Lou Gehrig Award. Murray has zero of any.
The Clemente award is for Community work, and the Lou Gehrig Memorial award is for on and off field performance. Both are only given to one player each season.
Also notable, of those that received the Lou Gehrig award, of the 69 awarded, only 10 eligible for HoF are not inducted.
One of these baseball fan channels recently did a video on the longest number of games on base streaks in baseball. I was amazed that Tony Glynn wasn't even close to the all time leaders. He was one of the greatest hitters, seldom struck out, but didn't collect an unusual number of bases on balls. He was such a great hitter, it appears he could always put the ball in play. And fortunately for us, about .325 % of the time it was for a hit.
As a kid growing up with the Twins and Kirby Puckett as THE Twin for 15 years, Mr. Gwynn was a little bit of an enigma for us American League kids...but, with the interwebs and RUclips, my God, was Gwynn a hitter! Arguable the best since Ted Williams. What a student of hitting, absolute respect for Mr. Padre!
Tony was the greatest hitter I have ever seen. No Doubt.
With an .847 ops? LOL
Put the bat on the ball. Gwynn was a master.
Tony Gwynn. The hitter of my childhood. Him and George Brett.
Think about it this way:
There is only one person who has more batting titles than T. Gwynn: Ty Cobb.
...and Cobb was a pure arsehole.
I watched Tony’s whole career and can’t understand how he constantly hit grounds balls between short and third and other type hits every nite
That Maddux quote is phenomenal
I wish I was old enough to watch him play but at least my dad has so many clips
Shohei struck out more during his MVP year than TG did throughout the 90's. Wow. Thanks for that nugget.
imagine what he could have done with all the tech and analytics that are so common now. he would have geeked out like crazy.
Well done. Tony Gwynn was the best hitter that I've ever seen, but I am biased. I watched him my entire life. It was special to see Ted Williams and Tony get together and for them to talk about hitting. San Diego breeds sports excellence. Don't even get me started on Heisman Trophies. Tony Gwynn was so good...I was a kid, tuned in to my Am radio and just knew that he would get a hit. The Padres losses didn't seem to matter at some point. It was about a singular Padre getting a hit and even the batting title. Tony Gwynn made losing bearable.
Growing up on the Oregon Coast, we only got the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS. When I joined the Navy, I spent 8 years in San Diego and went to Petco any time the Braves or Cubs were in town. But after a while, I started to love the Padres and they became my team. Tony was not flashy, but he was clearly the best player on the field, every time he stepped up to the plate. I always felt sorry for him because he was virtually ignored by the media, in favor of the steroid freaks. He should have at least 2 MVP awards. I've never seen a player as loved by his city as Tony was in San Diego though, and he seemed content with that.
Tony Gwynn achieved immortality. Hes given us plenty that no one will master his techniques.
The strangest thing about Gwynn aside from his non-existent strikeout rate was the fact that he never walked either. Wade Boggs didn't strike out much, but he did walk over 100 times 4 straight years and averaged 94BB per 162 games. Gwynn? His career high was 59 and only averaged 54 per 162. He basically just swung at everything and always put it in play in some fashion. I don't think anyone has ever been better at putting the bat on the ball.
Excellent video. Thank you.
I went to a padres vs devil rays game this season.... not one player had a 300 average..... all stars had less than 250
Would have been something if Mr Gwynn became a manager.
I’ve always been a Braves fan. I remember that Gwynn always hit well against Maddux.
Ted Williams was also went to the factories to select the wood that his bats were made out of
How insane would it be if Tony Gwynn and Ricky Henderson played together? They'd put football like scores
uhm...they did. Ricky was a Padre in 96, 97 and '01. Ricky got his 3,000 hit on Gwynn's last day as a player.
@BatFan1 Man! I didn't know. That must have been a nightmare for opposing teams
From 1993 through 1997, Tony Gwynn his .369 in that five year span.
That is just insanely good hitting. The guy only struck out 434 times in his 20 year career. Many players do that in 2 seasons.
Yea, as was stated his average was really good with two strikes. Most players struggle with the two strike off speed pitch.
@@flame-sky7148 Tony also didn't walk a whole lot. He let his awesome hitting do the talking. But then, Wade Boggs had over 1,400 walks, almost twice what Gwynn had, so Boggs' on base %, was alot higher cuz of his great eye at the plate, to go along 3,010 hits. Both those hitters, 👍⚾️ Wow!
@@travistaylor5000 Yea Boggs was amazing also. The 80's AL best hitter while Gwynn was 80's NL best hitter. They did well in the 90's as well.
Greatest hitter ever. He essentially never struck out. That 3 strike out game at the beginning of the video is his unicorn game considering he averaged less than 22 per season for 20 years
Galarraga won his batting title playing at Mile High Stadium. Coors didn’t open until 1995.
He’s him
I'm 64 years old, never played baseball on a team in my life. Played a little sandlot ball as a kid but maybe just a total of 5 to 10 hours worth. I started playing a couple of years ago in an over 60 league. I have no clue how to properly try to figure out what the pitcher will throw so I instead try to rely on watching to see if the ball looks like it will be a strike or not and then swing or not. So basically I wait until I see the ball's trajectory... if it looks like it will be a strike I swing, if not, don't. Luckily my reflexes are good and hand to eye not bad because I'm hitting over .550, and most of my hits are not pulled but hit to the opposite field due to my making contact late because I need to wait to see if it is a strike or not. That works in an over 60 league because few pitchers are throwing the ball faster than 60 mph... albeit the mound is 6 feet shorter to the plate... which does make reaction time difficult. But that all said... I'm a watch and swing batter and I rarely strike out.... usually one of my swings makes contact and I always swing if I see a strike coming. Oh and my batting stance is similar to Ricky Henderson... I keep my head very low... almost right right in the strike zone so I can more easily see it the ball will be a strike or not.
Tony gwynn was the best hitter of all time and my favorite player no one will ever be like tony gwynn
When I was a kid, my dad traveled because of his job. I would have the game on while my mom and I were doing housework. When I would check on the game, mom would always ask "When is Tony batting?". When he was up, she stopped everything and would come watch. He is the only player she ever cared about.
Tony Gwynn. Nothing else needs to be said.
I still can’t believe he’s gone
He’s the best
Gwynn and Carew, the 2 best hitters I’ve ever watched play
Gotta be kidding me
@@hens13Why are you questioning that? Gwynn and Carew are both Hall-of-Famers who won a combined 15 Batting titles. I would have loved to watch those two hit on a regular basis.
@@travistaylor5000 Batting titles are based off batting average, which means nothing. Both were sub .850 OPS hitters.
So glad someone did something on Tony Gwynn. He never received the respect he deserved. BTW it’s the 5 point 5 (5.5) hole. The area between 3rd (5) and SS (6).
He was special.
8:00 the greed of the bourgeoisie ruins everything. If it wasn’t for that greed then Tony Gwynn would have made history and the MLBPA wouldn’t have been forced to strike.
Absolutely! That problem has become everyone's problem today. Thank you f**king Obiden.
Can you please do one like this about Rod Carew?
In 1983 Tony wasn't a part-time player, he broke his wrist in winter ball, and wasn't activated until June.
Wow, the man hit over .330 on hall of fame pitchers with over 500 at bats. Great research!! You gotta factor in the specialty relief pitching that didn't exist in baseball's previous eras. I'd say he was the best. I didn't see the earlier eras. But yea that 1994 season could have been the year for Gwynn to get the national attention he deserved, but the strike ruined baseball in that era.
As far as Tony losing out on what should have been his best career season due to "the strike", politics and greed were responsible for that and will only get worse in all fields of life. That is partially why we will never see athletes like the ones that came from that era. There are so many artificial influences on all sports now that are slowly taking away from natural talent to supply the greedy corporations with their versions of how sports should be played to satisfy the "ratings". TONY GWYNN - all you can say is WOW!
Yea, I still love baseball, but something is missing in the game today. It ain’t like it used to be. I mean each era we had a Tony Gwynn, Boggs type of player. The owners are responsible for this demise. The stolen base is coming back, but it should have never left. We got guys regularly hitting .220 with 30 homers making zillions of dollars. In my opinion, that strike ruined the potential best season in the history.
@@flame-sky7148 I also find it disappointing that the bunt has been lost to the past.
@@78tag Yea, nowdays the manufacturing runs only comes up in the post season (maybe). I mean you have young generation Z content creators doing videos on great players such as George Brett, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Mike Schmidt and all these former players because the game was so much better even back then.
When you look up the definition of "hitter" in the dictionary, Tony Gwynn is one of the definitions that comes up.
Not ever striking out more than 40 times a season is unfathomable to me. Tony was so Frkn good at hitting it was almost impossible for him not to hit lol
Those pinstripe jerseys are so mint
Ken Griffey Jr. is my favorite baseball player of all-time, but Tony is at the very least the greatest hitter in modern baseball history. Big time name players today have a rough time putting consecutive .300 seasons, this man made a career out of it and was a revolutionary figure in the way video is used as a scouting tool in baseball. All that being said, I think he is grossly underappreciated as a legend of the game, especially throughout the steroids era.
Ricky Henderson and Tony Gwynn were OP
Absolutely!!! They’ll never be another hitter like Tony Gwynn… NEVER!!! The players these days don’t have his dedication or drive for excellence…