Today is a special day for the San Diego Padres.
On this day in 1960, team legend Tony Gwynn was born in Los Angeles.
Gwynn played his entire Major League career with the Padres, reaching the big leagues in 1982 and spending 20 seasons with the team.
Gwynn retired after the 2001 season, but left a lasting impact on the Padres and the game of baseball.
On Twitter, the Padres paid their respects to their franchise legend, wishing him a very happy birthday and expressing how much they miss having the slugger around.
Our beloved Tony Gwynn would have celebrated his 63rd birthday today.
Happy Birthday, #MrPadre! We miss you 🤎💛 pic.twitter.com/oJmq2voWId
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 9, 2023
Gwynn sadly passed away in June of 2014 after a bout with cancer, but his career and life were both legendary.
He posted a career WAR of 69.2 and hit a total of 135 home runs.
Gwynn also had a lifetime batting average of .338 and picked up 3,141 hits in 9,288 at-bats.
“Mr. Padre,” as he was affectionately known, was a 15-time All-Star, eight-time batting champion, seven-time Silver Slugger, and a five-time Gold Glover.
His best season came in 1994, which was shortened by the player strike.
That year, he hit for a career-high .394 average.
After his playing career ended, he became a coach at San Diego State, where he mentored several young stars, including Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg.
His son, Tony Gwynn Jr., also enjoyed a brief career in Major League Baseball.
Gwynn was inducted and enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2007.
NEXT: MLB Shares A Legendary Tony Gwynn Fact
