June 18, 2014: San Diego honors Tony Gwynn as Padres beat Mariners

“A colleague and I were discussing whether there has been a modern-era athlete who meant more to his city than Gwynn. Some might say John Elway in Denver, or Cal Ripken in Baltimore, or Michael Jordan in Chicago. But were any of those legends their city’s sole source of greatness? No. … Were any of them so heavily tied to a town’s identity? I don’t think so. … The stories you heard about his humility? They’re all true and reflective of a man who never saw a heart he couldn’t infiltrate. … Everyone seemed to have a connection with this man. A signed jersey, an encounter at a restaurant, a conversation at the mall – it didn’t matter if you were a fellow Hall of Famer or a cashier at Vons, the king of San Diego always made you feel like royalty.” – Matt Calkins, San Diego Union Tribune, 20141

Tony Gwynn is remembered for his warm, engaging smile, infectious laugh, fun-loving spirit, and commitment to community.2 He was a private person, yet he was accessible and welcoming. He provided proof that nice guys don’t finish last, whether it’s in life or baseball.

He was also known for his work ethic3 and early adoption of video analysis for batting.4

For his entire adult life, Gwynn was a fixture in the greater San Diego community. First, as a baseball and basketball star for the San Diego State University Aztecs, then as a Hall of Fame player for the San Diego Padres from 1982 through 2001, and finally as the head coach of the Aztecs baseball teams for 12 seasons. He loved San Diego and San Diego loved him back.

Kevin Towers, the Padres general manager from 1995 through 2009, described Gwynn as a “regular guy” without the swagger of a superstar. “He’s the greatest hitter of all time, and he could have easily been your next-door-neighbor.”5

Gwynn was drafted by the Padres and the NBA’s San Diego Clippers on the same day in 1981.6 He chose a career in professional baseball and was a National League All-Star 15 times. He won the NL batting title eight times. The right fielder finished his 20-season career, all with the Padres, with a batting average of .338.7

“Mr. Padre” was an outstanding left-handed contact hitter and is considered by many to be the best batter of his generation.8 Known more for hitting singles than batting for power, Gwynn was able to drive the ball to all fields. His opposite-field hits through the “5.5 hole,” the space between the third baseman and shortstop, were a trademark.9

Gwynn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2007. He died at age 54 on June 16, 2014, four years after being diagnosed with salivary gland cancer, which he attributed to decades of using chewing tobacco.10

Two days later, when the Padres hosted the Seattle Mariners in their next home game, the franchise celebrated Gwynn’s life and career. Hours before the game, fans flocked to the Gwynn statue11 outside of Petco Park, leaving flowers and mementos to honor Number 19.

A large “19” had been mowed into the right-field grass and a “19” logo was behind home plate.12  During batting practice and before the game, Tony Gwynn highlight videos were shown on the big screen, including his Hall of Fame induction speech. More highlight videos from throughout his career were featured between innings.13

SDSU players gathered on the mound as assistant head coach Mark Martinez14 threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Aztec, and Padres manager, Bud Black.15  

Then, a video tribute was played and all of the Padres players and coaches gathered around the “19” in right field. A 19-second moment of silence was observed throughout the ballpark.16

The Padres, who had lost the first two games of the four-game home-and-home set, were in fourth place in the National League West Division with a 29-42 record. The Mariners had a 37-34 record and were third in the American League West. San Diego was in a slump, having won just three of their previous 15 games.

The pitching matchup featured two right-handers: the Padres’ Andrew Cashner and Félix Hernández for the Mariners. Entering this game, Cashner had a 2.47 ERA over 69⅔ innings. Hernández, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2010, had a 2.29 ERA in 106⅓ innings, headed for his second AL ERA title.17

In the top of the first inning, Cashner surrendered a single to the Mariners’ leadoff batter, Endy Chávez – a grounder through the 5.5-hole. James Jones struck out swinging. While Robinson Canó was in the batter’s box, Chávez attempted to steal second, but Padres catcher Rene Rivera threw him out for the second out. Canó walked on a 3-and-1 count. Kyle Seager flied out to center. 

In the bottom of the first, Seth Smith singled to right. Then Hernández struck out the next three Padres to end the inning.

In the second, with one out, Cashner hit Mike Zunino with a pitch. Dustin Ackley’s line-drive single to left-center moved Zunino to third. Brad Miller hit a single to left, scoring Zunino. Mariners 1, Padres 0. Hernández’s sacrifice gave the Mariners two runners in scoring position, but Chávez grounded out to the right side of the infield for the third out. In the bottom of the inning, Hernández put down the Padres in order.

Through five innings, the score remained 1-0, Seattle. Cashner had allowed six singles and one walk; Hernández had given up one single and no walks.

Seattle’s Logan Morrison led off the sixth with a hard grounder to right for a double on a 0-and-2 count. He moved up on Rivera’s passed ball. With a man on third and no outs, Seattle was looking to expand its lead, but Zunino flied out to short center and Ackley grounded out. Cashner intentionally walked Miller to face Hernández, who hit a weak grounder to third for the third out.

The bottom of the Padres’ order evened the game against Hernández in the bottom of the sixth. Eighth-place hitter Alexi Amarista singled. Cashner advanced Amarista to second with a sacrifice up the first-base line. Smith grounded out while Amarista moved to third. With two outs, Hernández threw a wild pitch to Chris Denorfia; Amarista scored. Denorfia worked the count to 2-and-2 and grounded out to short. Mariners 1, Padres 1.

Both starting pitchers completed the seventh with Cashner putting down the top of the Mariners’ order one-two-three, while Hernández yielded a single and no runs.

Padres’ reliever Joaquín Benoit retired the Mariners in order in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, Charlie Furbush took the mound for Seattle. On a 3-and-2 count, Everth Cabrera got a single with a weak grounder to third. Amarista laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Cabrera to second. Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica hit a slider to center for a single, scoring Cabrera.

Furbush got the second out when Smith flied out to center. Then, Yoervis Medina relieved Furbush and gave up a single to Denorfia. Medina got out of the inning when Carlos Quentin grounded out to short. Padres 2, Mariners 1.

For the ninth, San Diego closer Huston Street retired Ackley, Miller, and John Buck in order on nine pitches to secure the one-run victory for the Padres. The Mariners had seven hits and no errors, with Furbush taking the loss. The Padres had six hits and one error, while Benoit picked up the win and Street was credited with his 19th save of the season.

The Friars had won on Gwynn’s tribute day.18 Perhaps it was fitting that while honoring the consummate singles hitter, all the hits by both teams were singles (except for one double) and a third of the singles (4 of 12) were hit through the 5.5 hole.19

In addition to honoring Gwynn before and during the game, other tributes20 followed:

The County of San Diego displayed a 35-foot-high replica of Gwynn’s jersey on the tower of the County Administration Center.21

Flags in San Diego and at the Baseball Hall of Fame were flown at half-staff.22

Thursday, June 26, was an offday for the Padres, but Petco Park was opened for another tribute that began at 7:19 P.M. That time of day was selected not only to pay homage to Number 19, but also because Gwynn made his Padres debut on July 19, 1982.23 The celebration of life began with the release of 19 white doves. Steve Garvey, Trevor Hoffman, and Reggie Jackson were among the speakers who addressed the crowd from a stage in front of the “19” carved in the right-field grass. Near the end of the event, Hoffman gave a heartfelt speech and spoke directly to Gwynn: “Thank you for representing San Diego with such class.”24

Among the crowd at the June 26 tribute was an adolescent boy holding a sign that read:

“Live Like Tony.”25

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Bruce Slutsky and copy-edited by Len Levin. The author thanks John Fredland, Gary Belleville, and Kurt Blumenau for their guidance and editing assistance.

Sources and Photo Credit

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and SABR.org for general player, team, and season data.

The Gwynn baseball card image was downloaded from Trading Card Database.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN201406180.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2014/B06180SDN2014.htm

Notes

1 Matt Calkins, “Padres Pay Tribute – No Matter Where You’re From, if You Live in S.D., You’re Going to Miss Tony Gwynn,” San Diego Union-Tribune, June 19, 2014: A-1. Vons is a regional supermarket chain owned by Albertsons. Most Vons stores are in Southern California.

2 Gwynn was also known for his generosity and love of family. In 1998, he and his wife established the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, which focused on improving the quality of life for individuals and families in need, including helping children and young adults with cancer. Gwynn won baseball’s highest off-field honor, the Roberto Clemente Award, in 1999. He grew up playing sports with his older brother, Charles, who became a teacher, and his younger brother Chris Gwynn, who played 10 seasons in the big leagues. Gwynn met his wife, Alicia, in elementary school. They married in 1981 and had two children: Tony Gwynn Jr., who played pro baseball, including eight seasons in the majors, and Anisha Nicole, who became a recording artist. Baseball and family life intertwined in many ways. Anisha sang the national anthem several times at Padres games. Gwynn got his 2,000th and 3,000th hits on his mother’s birthday, August 6. Gwynn had his brother Chris as a teammate during the Padres’ 1996 season. Gwynn Sr. coached Tony Jr. at SDSU in 2003, before he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers; the two both got their first big-league hits on July 19, 24 years apart. Both were doubles to right field. Gwynn maintained that he stayed in San Diego not only because he loved the community, but also to provide stability for his family. As Gwynn’s obituary in the New York Daily News observed, Gwynn’s stance received criticism from some fellow players, on the grounds that it “[set] a lower market value for [other] superstar hitters.” When a Players Association executive chastised him over the phone in the 1980s for taking a below-market deal, Gwynn said the official “should mind his own business and take care of the other 800 major-league players.” Bill Madden and Michael O’Keeffe, “A Hit Machine: Gwynn Is Dead at 54; 8-Time Batting Champ,” New York Daily News, June 17, 2014: 51, available at https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/06/17/hall-of-famer-tony-gwynn-dead-at-54/.

3 Gwynn was considered a “natural” by many, but the work ethic instilled by his parents was a key part of his success. Darrin Jackson played on the Padres with Gwynn from 1989 to 1992. He said: “[Gwynn] didn’t look at it like he was somebody special. He really worked hard at his craft.” “I could never imagine anybody working that hard on something,” said another former teammate, Mark Parent. “In the offseason he would hit a thousand balls off the tee in one day.” Colleen Kane, “Former Teammates Pay Tribute to Gwynn: Jackson, Parent Praise Work Ethic of a Legend,” Chicago Tribune, June 18, 2014, 3.3.

4 Gwynn was a pioneer in video analysis for batting, earning him the nickname Captain Video. He bought his own video equipment and would lug it around from city to city on road trips. He spent countless hours studying swings, pitchers and other aspects of baseball to improve his performance. Gwynn’s teammate Trevor Hoffman said: “He revolutionized video in baseball.” Richard Goldstein, “Tony Gwynn, Hall of Fame Batting Champion, Dies at 54 of Cancer,” New York Times, June 16, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/17/sports/baseball/tony-gwynn-8-time-national-league-batting-champion-is-dead-at-54.html.

5 Bob Nightengale, “Tony Gwynn Left a Lasting Impression,” USA Today, June 16, 2014, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/06/16/tony-gwynn-dies-appreciation-barry-bonds/10647275/.

6 On June 10, 1981, Gwynn was drafted by the Padres in the third round of the amateur draft and by the Clippers – who relocated to Los Angeles in 1984 – in the 10th round of the NBA draft.

7 Only Ty Cobb won more batting titles (12). Gwynn and Honus Wagner have the most in the NL, each with eight batting titles. Gwynn was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 on his first ballot. He received 97.6 percent of vote (right behind Hank Aaron and right in front of Johnny Bench and Mike Schmidt). Although he was considered primarily a singles hitter, he hit 135 career home runs and finished his career with a .847 OPS. Gwynn won the Silver Slugger Award seven times and was a Gold Glove winner five times. He led the NL in hits in seven seasons. He batted .300 or higher in 19 of his 20 big-league seasons, including three seasons at .370 or higher. He was notoriously difficult to strike out; only 434 times in 10,232 plate appearances. Since the early 1990s, MLB.com has been keeping records on batting averages on two-strike counts (where the pitcher has an advantage). Gwynn has, by far, the highest two-strike batting average, a lofty .302. In second place is Wade Boggs with .262. Scott Kingdon, Tony Gwynn: The Baseball Life of Mr. Padre, (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2023), 170.

8 Just as Ted Williams was the best hitter of his generation, Gwynn was considered an heir apparent. Williams, a native of San Diego, and Gwynn became friends and loved to discuss hitting. Williams said: “The only way I can put in words how I feel about Tony Gwynn is this: ‘If you want to get a PhD in hitting, watch Tony Gwynn.’” “Best Quotes About Tony Gwynn – The Legendary Baseball Player,” quotesanity.com, July 5, 2024, https://quotesanity.com/best-quotes-about-tony-gwynn-the-legendary-baseball-player/.

9 It is called the 5.5 hole because of baseball’s position numbers, which designate the third baseman as position number 5 and the shortstop as position number 6. As a batter, Gwynn identified with this part of the field so strongly that he had “5.5 Hole” stitched into the tongue of his baseball shoes, as displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

10 Gwynn had kept the specifics of his health condition fairly private, so for many fans it was shock to hear he had died.     On the night of his death, the Padres were playing the Mariners in Seattle. In honor of Gwynn, the Mariners displayed a “19” at the 5.5 hole. Due to Gwynn’s death, a number of people in baseball vowed to quit using chewing tobacco. In 2016, the Major League Collective Bargaining Agreement was revised to preclude the use of smokeless tobacco at games or team functions by players who entered the National and American leagues after 2016. Also in 2016, the Gwynn family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Altria, and its subsidiary U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Inc. The family said they did this to increase public awareness of tobacco addiction and its health risks. Two years later, the suit was settled; the settlement terms remain confidential. Kingdon, Tony Gwynn: The Baseball Life of Mr. Padre, 171-172.

11 The 9-foot-tall statue features “Mr. Padre” on its base along with an inscribed quote from Gwynn’s father: “Work hard and good things will happen.” 

12 Additionally, Major League Baseball had quickly authorized a number 19 patch, worn by the Padres on their jerseys, to honor Gwynn for the rest of the season.

13 “Padres and Fans Pay Tribute to Gwynn in First Home Game Since His Passing,” gaslampball.com, June 19, 2014, https://www.gaslampball.com/2014/6/19/5824690/tony-gwynn-tribute-padres-petco-park-june-18-2014. A video of the tribute to Tony Gwynn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R44Oxoh61M.

14 After Gwynn’s passing, Martinez was named head coach for the Aztecs.

15 “Padres and Fans Pay Tribute to Gwynn in First Home Game Since His Passing.” Black was a teammate of Gwynn’s when both played for San Diego State University, and he was the Padres’ manager from 2007 through part of 2015).

16 “Padres and Fans Pay Tribute to Gwynn in First Home Game Since His Passing.” The pregame ceremonies were all narrated by former Padres PA announcer Bruce Binkowski. After Gwynn’s death, moments of silence and other tributes were observed at other ballparks as well, including Yankee Stadium in New York, US Cellular Field (New Comiskey) in Chicago, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (where Tony Gwynn Jr. was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies).

17 Hernández was a six-time All-Star who spent his entire 15-year big-league career with the Mariners. He led the AL in ERA in two seasons, 2010 (2.27) and 2014 (2.14). Andrew Cashner pitched in the National and American Leagues over 10 seasons. His 2014 season with the Padres was one of his best with a 2.55 ERA over 123⅓ innings. Cashner was placed on the disabled list with a sore shoulder five days after this game. He didn’t pitch again until August 23.

18 This was the Padres’ second win in their last 10 games.

19 The four batters who singled through the 5.5 hole were Chávez, Miller, Amarista, and Denorfia.

20 Additional tributes: Shortly after Gwynn’s death, San Diego’s congressional delegation submitted a statement published in the Congressional Record honoring the life and legacy of Gwynn that included this: “Gwynn’s dedication to the sport was only matched by his remarkable character and his love for San Diego. …” At their 2015 season opener, SDSU did its own tribute and retired Gwynn’s number 19. Tony Gwynn Jr. threw out the first pitch and Gwynn Sr.’s daughter, Anisha, sang the national anthem. Head coach Martinez presented Gwynn’s wife, Alicia, with a framed number 19 jersey. The Aztecs beat Valparaiso 5-4 in front of a sellout crowd. In the fall of 2015, the “Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway” was dedicated for a portion of Interstate 15 in San Diego County. This route was driven by Gwynn frequently as he drove to and from his home in Poway, a San Diego suburb. In an interesting coincidence, exit number 19 from the freeway is the off-ramp to the Ted Williams Parkway. Just before the 2016 All-Star game, held at Petco Park, Major League Baseball announced that the NL batting title would be named after Gwynn and the AL batting crown after Rod Carew. In 2017, an 11-foot bronze statue of Gwynn was dedicated at a plaza in Poway, Gwynn’s adopted hometown, where he had lived for almost 30 years. The statue depicts Gwynn as young player in a Padres uniform holding his 3-year-old daughter in one arm and waving to a crowd with other.

21 “Towering Tribute to Tony Gwynn Returns to County Building,” Targeted News Services, June 19, 2014, US States.     The 35-by-30-foot jersey was first hung on the tower in 2007 when Gwynn was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

22 Nightengale, “Tony Gwynn Left a Lasting Impression.”

23 Bernie Wilson (Associated Press), “King Felix Pitches Well; Mariners Lose 2-1,” June 19, 2014.

24 Jay Paris (Associated Press), “Padres Honor Gwynn with Memorial at Petco Park,” June 27, 2014. The June 26 tribute was attended by 23,229 people, including members of Gwynn’s family. Padres play-by-play announcer Ted Leitner was the master of ceremonies. Video testimonials were provided by Greg Maddux, Bruce Bochy, Tim Flannery, Dave Winfield, and Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken, a friend of Gwynn’s, was enshrined at the Baseball Hall of Fame at the same time as Gwynn. At the end of the ceremony, Petco Park went dark and “Amazing Grace” was sung. Chris Jenkins, “‘Live Like Tony’ 20,000-Plus Bid Farewell to Mr. Padre,” San Diego Union-Tribune, June 27, 2014, D-1.

25 “‘Live Like Tony’ 20,000-Plus Bid Farewell to Mr. Padre.”