Special Editor
DongA.com, Song Chi-Hoon

With a decade of experience as a sports journalist and 30 years as a devoted baseball fan, Song Chi-Hoon brings deeper insights into the fascinating hidden stories of Major League Baseball.

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September 14, 1983, San Diego Stadium - San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants.

Drafted in the third round (58th overall) by the San Diego Padres in the 1981 draft, second-year outfielder Tony Gwynn started the game as the third hitter and right fielder. In the bottom of the first inning, with two outs and no runners on base, Gwynn stepped up to the plate against Giants' starter Mike Krukow and delivered a single to center field.

With this hit, Gwynn extended his hitting streak to 22 games, breaking the previous Padres record of 21 consecutive games with a hit. He went on to extend this streak to 25 games, setting a new franchise record.

Debuting with his first hit on July 19, 1982, against Philadelphia, Gwynn spent 20 seasons with the Padres, racking up 3,141 hits. Known as one of the most precise and consistent hitters in MLB history, Gwynn's career achievements are legendary.

After hitting .289 in his rookie season, Gwynn hit over .300 for 15 consecutive years and maintained a .300 average for 19 straight seasons, including those where he did not qualify for the batting title. He recorded a .350 batting average for five consecutive seasons (1993-1997), the only player to do so since World War II. Even in his final season, he managed a .324 average.

In the 1994 season, Gwynn came close to achieving a feat not seen since Ted Williams: a .400 batting average.

Gwynn opened the 1994 season with a hit against Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux but had to rest for a week due to knee pain after his second at-bat. Upon his return, Gwynn was unstoppable. On April 23, he went 5-for-5 against Philadelphia, raising his average to .426.

Philadelphia's pitcher Curt Schilling, suspicious of sign-stealing, threw at Gwynn's knee the next day. Gwynn responded with consecutive hits against Schilling.

By May 14, Gwynn was still hitting over .400. A brief slump dropped his average to .398, but he remained in the high .380s and .390s, keeping the dream alive.

On the last day of June, Gwynn faced New York Mets' Brett Saberhagen and briefly hit .401 before ending the day at .391. His performance soared in the second half, notably in a doubleheader against the Mets and another against Philadelphia, pushing his average to .393.

Despite knee issues and fatigue, Gwynn hit .475 in August, arriving in Houston with a .392 average. He notched six hits in a three-game series, raising his average to .394 with 45 games left.

However, labor disputes between players and owners led to a strike on September 14, halting the season and Gwynn's .400 pursuit.

* At the time, the introduction of the free agency system led to a rapid increase in player salaries. To curb this salary growth, the implementation of a salary cap and salary arbitration system was discussed. The MLB players' union opposed the owners' unilateral decisions, leading to the strike.

Gwynn’s coach believed he needed just nine hits in 13 at-bats to return to .400. In the Houston series, Gwynn managed six hits, falling just three short.

Gwynn finished the 1994 season with a .394 average, the highest since Ted Williams in 1941, leaving a lasting legacy despite missing the .400 mark.

Gwynn excelled against the best pitchers, batting .331 against 18 Hall of Famers over 541 matchups, comparable to a full season of at-bats.

Greg Maddux, a master of control, struggled against Gwynn. Maddux once remarked to the Washington Post in 2014:

“Sometimes hitters can pick up differences in spin. They can identify pitches if there are different releases points or if a curve ball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision. Except, for that darn Tony Gwynn”.

Gwynn's career stats include 3,141 hits, a .338 batting average, .847 OPS*, 135 home runs, 319 stolen bases, and a wRC+ of 132. He won eight NL batting titles and seven Silver Slugger awards.

* OPS: On-base Plus Slugging

His eight batting titles tie Honus Wagner's NL record, and his .338 average is the highest post-WWII. Gwynn holds Padres records in multiple categories, including batting average, hits, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, and stolen bases. His number 19 was retired by the Padres in 2004.

Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007, with a 97.6% vote. On June 21, 2007, the Padres unveiled a statue of him at Petco Park, labeled “Mr. Padre.”

Post-retirement, Gwynn served as a coach at San Diego State University, an analyst for ESPN and Yahoo Sports, and a Padres broadcaster. He passed away from salivary gland cancer on June 16, 2014, at the age of 55.

* After his death, it was revealed that chewing tobacco, a habit Gwynn had during his playing career, was the cause of his cancer. In 2015, MLB banned the use of chewing tobacco.

After his death, it was revealed that chewing tobacco, a habit Gwynn had during his playing career, was the cause of his cancer. In 2015, MLB banned the use of chewing tobacco.

"I always had a coach telling me what I couldn’t do. They said I couldn’t throw, I couldn’t hit with power, I was slow and would never make it. But that was one of the reasons I was able to succeed."

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