Tom Fudge: Yesterday the Baseball Writers Association of America bestowed on Tony Gwynn the sport’s highest honor. They inducted Gwynn, who spent his entire career with the San Diego Padres, into the baseball hall of fame. Gwynn joined the hallowed fraternity of ballplayers along with Cal Ripkin. The former Oriole shortstop outpolled Gwynn by a thin margin. Ripkin was voted in on 98 percent of the ballots; Gwynn on 97 percent. That still gave Tony Gwynn one of the most overwhelming votes for induction in baseball history. When Tony Gwynn got the call with yesterdays news, he reportedly broke down in tears as he was hugged by his wife.
Baseball statistics tell the story of Tony Gwynn. He had a career batting average of .338. He won five gold gloves. Eight National league batting championships. He played in two World Series, despite spending his entire career with a team that was bad, more often than it was good.
Guest
- Bob Chandler, longtime announcer for the San Diego Padres and author of the book, “Bob Chandler’s Tales from the San Diego Padres.”
