San Diego Padres history: The 10 best games of Tony Gwynn's career

By any yardstick, Tony Gwynn is the greatest player in the history of the San Diego Padres.

He is the franchise leader in nearly every batting category of significance: batting average (.338), games played (2,440), runs scored (1,393), hits (3,141), RBIs (1,138), doubles, triples, total bases, WAR…and the list goes on.

An eight-time batting champion and 15-time All-Star, he was the driving force behind the team’s first three division championship teams, in 1984, 1996 and 1998. Elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2007, he got 97.6 percent of the vote.

This is a look back at the 10 most exceptional regular season outings, as well as the five best postseason games of this Hall of Fame standout.

Our standard of measurement is Win Probability Added. That calculates the individual’s role in influencing the game’s outcome. For that reason, it emphasizes late-inning game-turning accomplishments. It judges the player’s contribution within the broader context of winning the game. 

San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn’s 10 most exceptional regular-season performances

10. April 8, 1984, Padres 5, Cubs 8. It is perhaps fitting that this list begins with an early season game at Jack Murphy Stadium against the team San Diego would defeat for the National League pennant. This particular game ended in defeat for the Padres but, even in a loss, Gwynn was exceptional.

His third-inning base hit proved fruitless, and into the seventh inning he had done nothing. Chicago led 2-1 when Tim Flannery got a one-out single in the seventh and advanced on an Alan Wiggins hit. That brought up Gwynn, who laced a line drive over the head of the Cubs center fielder for a triple, scoring both runners and putting the Padres ahead 3-2. 

The Padres fought back to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, a walk to Gwynn figuring in the run production. But Chicago scored three times in the 10th for the victory. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.563.

9. May 4, 1991, Padres 6, Expos 5. At Olympic Stadium, Gwynn entered this game batting .340, and his play against the Expos demonstrated why. His first-inning single scored Bip Roberts and, when Andres Galarraga muffed his third-inning grounder, Tony Fernandez came in to score. Fred McGriff followed with a double, Gwynn scoring to tie the game 3-3.

San Diego trailed 4-3 when Gwynn came up with Fernandez on base. He lined a single to left that Ivan Calderon misplayed, scoring Fernandez and allowing Gwynn to reach third, where he was stranded.

The game proceeded into the 13th inning as a 5-5 tie. However, with Bip Roberts in scoring position, Gwynn grounded a third hit up the middle to get the eventual winning run home. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.569.

4., June 6, 1984, Padres 7, Giants 6. The Padres trailed Atlanta by half a game entering the second half of a Sunday doubleheader at Candlestick. San Diego won the first game 7-5, but trailed this one 6-4 entering the ninth inning.

Hitless to that point and due up seventh, Gwynn was unlikely to get a chance to influence the outcome. But Carmelo Martinez and Garry Templeton both singled off Giants reliever Gary Lavelle, and Bruce Bochy’s fly ball got one run home to make the score 6-5. Steve Garvey followed with a hit, but Templeton was thrown out at home attempting to score the tying run.

Alan Wiggins kept the inning alive with a hit and Bobby Brown worked a walk, giving Gwynn his chance. He lined a single off Lavelle that scored both Garvey and Wiggins with the tying and go-ahead runs. When Rich Gossage stopped the Giants in the bottom of the ninth, San Diego had a comeback 7-6 victory. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.636.

3. July 20, 1984, Padres 3, Pirates. Not surprisingly, 1984 – with three entries – is the most represented of Gwynn’s seasons on this list.  By mid-July, the Padres commanded the NL West race, holding a six and one-half game lead on the Braves. But they lost the first game of this Friday night doubleheader at Three Rivers, and were being shut out by John Tudor entering the eighth inning of the second game.

With first and sixth inning hits, Gwynn was the only Padre experiencing any success against Tudor. Down to their final five outs, Bruce Bochy beat out a base hit and, one out later, Alan Wiggins also singled, moving pinch runner Kurt Bevacqua to second.

Power was only an occasional aspect of Gwynn’s game but, against Tudor, he muscled up and rocketed a home run into the right field seats. It was all the offense San Diego would generate in the game, and it was enough to seal an eventual 3-2 victory. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.697.

2. June 11, 1993, Padres 5, Dodgers 4. The situation looked hopeless for the home team on this Friday evening at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Dodgers had steadily built a 4-0 lead which Kevin Gross protected, holding the Padres to just three hits over eight innings.

But when Gross was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth, the Padres got into the Dodger bullpen, and the gettings were good. After Gary Sheffield touched a young Pedro Martinez for a single, Fred McGriff homered to make the score 4-2. A walk, two singles, and two strikeouts later, Gwynn came up against left-handed Omar Daal, the third Dodger pitcher of the inning. 

Gwynn took a first pitch ball, then lined Daal’s second pitch into the gap in center. Derek Bell and Craig Shipley scored easily and, when Ricky Gutierrez beat the relay home, Gwynn’s hit had completed a stunning five-run rally good for a walkoff victory. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.749. 

1. June 21, 1986, Padres 8, Dodgers 7. From an impact standpoint, Gwynn’s greatest single regular-season game unfolded under the Dodger Stadium lights. His team was in a 5-0 hole when Gwynn went to work in the seventh inning with a ground single into left field that scored Garry Templeton and advanced two other runners.  Those runners both later scored on a Steve Garvey single.

The Padres still trailed 6-5 when Gwynn led off the ninth against Ken Howell. He singled, stole second, took third on an Alex Trevino throwing error, and scored the tying run on a Kevin McReynolds fly ball.

Fast-forward to the 11th for a repeat: A Gwynn single, a steal of second and a lead run scored on McReynolds’ double. The only problem was that the Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the 11th.

And so things proceeded into the 14th inning. After Tim Flannery opened with a hit, Gwynn beat out an infield grounder, moving the lead run into scoring position. Two strikeouts later, John Kruk singled to score Flannery. This time the Padre pen held, producing an 8-7 victory. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.757.

San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn’s five best postseason games

5. Game 2, NLDS, Oct. 3,  1996, Padres 4, Cardinals 5. Gwynn’s sixth-inning single scored two runs and pulled the Padres within one run of the lead. The Cardinals would hang on for the victory and sweep the series. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.148.

4. Game 1, NLCS, Oct. 7, 1998, Padres 3, Braves 2. Gwynn’s fifth-inning single off John Smoltz drove in the tying run. San Diego would win on a 10th-inning Ken Caminiti home run. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.219.

3. Game 3, World Series, Oct. 20, 1998, Padres 4, Yankees 5. This was San Diego’s best hope of averting a sweep at the hands of one of the all-time greatest teams. Gwynn’s sixth-inning single drove in two runs and put the Padres ahead 2-0. Moments later, he scored the inning’s third run. He singled again in the eighth, setting up a fourth run that pulled the Padres within a run at 5-4. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.259.

2. Game 1, World Series, Oct. 17, 1998, Padres 6, Yankees 9. Gwynn’s second of three hits that night was a fifth-inning home run that scored Quilvio Veras ahead of him and gave San Diego a 4-2 lead. His eighth-inning single eventually led to a run but, by that time, the Yanks were too far out front. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.301. 

1. Game 5, NLCS, Oct. 7, 1984, Padres 6, Cubs 3. Gwynn starred in what may rank as the greatest game in Padres history.  With the Cubs leading 3-0 and Rick Sutcliffe seemingly in complete command of the decisive NLCS game, Gwynn’s sixth-inning single touched off a two-run rally.

One inning later, Gwynn’s double to center scored Tim Flannery and Alan Wiggins and turned a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 Padres edge. One batter later, Steve Garvey’s hit scored Gwynn with an insurance run as the Padres reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Gwynn Win Probability Added: 0.323.