On June 16, 2014 — “Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn, 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.” – Commissioner Bud Selig, on the passing of Tony Gwynn.Tony Gwynn, surrounded by his family at Pomerado Hospital in Poway, CA, loses his battle to salivary gland cancer at the age of 54. The Hall of Fame outfielder, who became the head baseball coach for San Diego State University after spending his entire major league career with the Padres, compiled a.338 career batting average over 20 seasons, collecting 3,141 hits, en route to tying Honus Wagner’s mark of eight National League batting titles.
