It’s been a long eight years since we lost the great Tony Gwynn to cancer complications.
One of the greatest hitters to ever pick up a bat, Mr. Padre would’ve turned 62 on Monday.
Across social media, baseball fans celebrated the life of the 15-time All-Star taken away from us far too soon.
“The great Tony Gwynn would’ve turned 62 today,” said MLB Vault.
“Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn was born this day in 1960 in Los Angeles, CA,” shared Baseball In Pics’ account.
“Remember these two things: play hard and have fun.”
“Happy Birthday to the late, great Tony Gwynn, who was born on this day in 1960,” tweeted Gwynn’s alma mater San Diego State. “We miss you every day, Coach. You are forever in our hearts and minds!”
“#OTD in 1960, Tony Gwynn was born in Los Angeles, CA,” said Graig Kreindler. “Here’s a small painting of the Padres great that was used in 2019’s 150 Years of Baseball set by Topps.”
“Please take a moment to remember the great Tony Gwynn who would’ve turned 62 today,” tweeted a Canadian baseball history blog. “This is how I like to remember him — signing autographs at SkyDome prior to the 1991 All-Star Game.”
“On what would have been #MrPadre‘s 62nd birthday,” shared the San Diego Padres. “We’re proud to announce the Tony Gwynn Community All-Star Program that honors local youth that embody Tony’s dedication to supporting the San Diego community.”
One of the early advocates of using film to study his swing and perfect his at-bats, Tony Gwynn finished his career with 3,141 hits and a .338 batting average over his 20 MLB seasons.
Not bad for a highly-recruited point guard who once described baseball as “just something to do in the spring and summer.”
Happy birthday, Tony.