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SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynn could handle a bat like few other major leaguers, whether it was driving the ball through the "5.5 hole" between third base and shortstop or hitting a home run off the facade in Yankee Stadium in the World Series. He was a craftsman at the plate, whose sweet left-handed swing made him one of baseballs greatest hitters. Gwynn loved San Diego. San Diego loved "Mr. Padre" right back. Gwynn, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest athletes in San Diegos history, died Monday of oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. He was 54. "Our city is a little darker today without him but immeasurably better because of him," Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a statement. In a rarity in pro sports, Gwynn played his whole career with the Padres, choosing to stay in the city where he was a two-sport star in college, rather than leaving for bigger paychecks elsewhere. His terrific hand-eye co-ordination made him one of the games greatest pure hitters. He had 3,141 hits -- 18th on the all-time list -- a career .338 average and won eight batting titles to tie Honus Wagners NL record. He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats. He played in San Diegos only two World Series -- batting a combined .371 -- and was a 15-time All-Star. He had a memorable home run in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series off fellow San Diegan David Wells, and scored the winning run in the 1994 All-Star Game despite a bum knee. Gwynn never hit below .309 in a full season. He spread out his batting titles from 1984, when he batted .351, to 1997, when he hit .372. Gwynn was hitting .394 when a players strike ended the 1994 season, denying him a shot at becoming the first player to hit .400 since San Diego native Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Gwynn befriended Williams and the two loved to talk about hitting. Gwynn steadied Williams when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the 1999 All-Star Game at Bostons Fenway Park. Fellow Hall of Famer Greg Maddux tweeted, "Tony Gwynn was the best pure hitter I ever faced! Condolences to his family." Gwynn was known for his hearty laugh and warm personality. Every day at 4 p.m., Gwynn sat in the Padres dugout and talked baseball or anything else with the media. Tim Flannery, who was teammates with Gwynn on the Padres 1984 World Series team and later was on San Diegos coaching staff, said hell "remember the cackle to his laugh. He was always laughing, always talking, always happy." "The baseball world is going to miss one of the greats, and the world itself is going to miss one of the great men of mankind," said Flannery, the San Francisco Giants third base coach. "He cared so much for other people. He had a work ethic unlike anybody else, and had a childlike demeanour of playing the game just because he loved it so much." Gwynn had been on a medical leave since late March from his job as baseball coach at San Diego State, his alma mater. He died at a hospital in suburban Poway, agent John Boggs said. "He was in a tough battle and the thing I can critique is hes definitely in a better place," Boggs said. "He suffered a lot. He battled. Thats probably the best way I can describe his fight against this illness he had, and he was courageous until the end." Gwynns wife, Alicia, and other family members were at his side when he died, Boggs said. Gwynns son, Tony Jr., was with the Philadelphia Phillies, who later placed him on the bereavement list. "Today I lost my Dad, my best friend and my mentor," Gwynn Jr. tweeted. "Im gonna miss u so much pops. Im gonna do everything in my power to continue to ... Make u proud!" Gwynn had two operations for cancer in his right cheek between August 2010 and February 2012. The second surgery was complicated, with surgeons removing a facial nerve because it was intertwined with a tumour inside his right cheek. They grafted a nerve from Gwynns neck to help him eventually regain facial movement. Gwynn had been in and out of the hospital and had spent time in a rehab facility, Boggs said. "For more than 30 years, Tony Gwynn was a source of universal goodwill in the national pastime, and he will be deeply missed by the many people he touched," Commissioner Bud Selig said. Fans paid their respects by visiting the statue of Gwynn on a grassy knoll just beyond the outfield at Petco Park. Gwynn was last with his San Diego State team on March 25 before beginning a leave of absence. His Aztecs rallied around a Gwynn bobblehead doll they would set near the bat rack during games, winning the Mountain West Conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA regionals. Last week, SDSU announced it was extending Gwynns contract one season. The Aztecs play at Tony Gwynn Stadium, which was built in the mid-1990s with a $4 million donation by then-Padres owner John Moores. Gwynn was born in Los Angeles on May 9, 1960, and attended high school in Long Beach. He was a two-sport star at San Diego State in the late 1970s and early 1980s, playing point guard for the basketball team -- he still holds the game, season and career record for assists -- and in the outfield on the baseball team. Gwynn always wanted to play in the NBA, until realizing during his final year at San Diego State that baseball would be the ticket to the pros. He was drafted by both the Padres (third round) and San Diego Clippers (10th round) on the same day in 1981. After spending parts of just two seasons in the minor leagues, he made his big league debut on July 19, 1982. Gwynn had two hits that night. After Gwynn hit a double, all-time hits leader Pete Rose, who been trailing the play, said to him: "Hey, kid, what are you trying to do, catch me in one night?" In a career full of highlights, Gwynn had his 3,000th hit on Aug. 9, 1999, a first-inning single to right field at Montreals Olympic Stadium. Gwynn retired after the 2001 season and became a volunteer assistant coach at SDSU in 2002. He took over as head coach after that season. He and Cal Ripken Jr. -- who spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles -- were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. "I had no idea that all the things in my career were going to happen," Gwynn said shortly before being inducted. "I sure didnt see it. I just know the good Lord blessed me with ability, blessed me with good eyesight and a good pair of hands, and then I worked at the rest." Gwynn also is survived by a daughter, Anisha. Boggs said services were pending. Air Max 270 Rebajas . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Venta Nike Air Max 270 . He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. http://www.airmax270baratas.es/. Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Comprar Air Max 270 Baratas . Dumont, a fifth round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2009, has four assists and 20 penalty minutes in 12 games with the Bulldogs this season. The 23-year-old split last season between Hamilton and Montreal, recording 16 goals and 15 assists in 55 regular season games with the Bulldogs. Air Max 270 Comprar Online . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adrian Beltre had the big hits after Texas manager Ron Washington made the right call on replay twice in a matter of minutes. Beltre singled home Shin-Soo Choo with the game winner in the ninth inning, drove in his new teammate with a tying double in the seventh, and the Rangers saved a run on a successful replay challenge in a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. "The system worked today," Beltre said. It worked with a little help from Washingtons instincts during Philadelphias two-run sixth inning. His first big decision was not to challenge a play at third when Jim Joyce called Cesar Hernandez safe on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Revere. Washington came out to talk to the crew chief but didnt challenge. Replay showed the call was correct. Moments later, Revere was called safe at second base by Cory Blaser on a pickoff attempt by Martin Perez. Washington asked for the review, which showed second baseman Donnie Murphys glove on Reveres back as he caught the ball before a diving Reveres hand was back on the bag. Revere would have scored on Ryan Howards double later in the inning, but instead only Jimmy Rollins came home for a 2-0 lead. Rollins broke the scoreless tie with a single. "From my vantage point, I thought he had him, really," Washington said. So did Murphy. "I knew that I caught the ball at the same time I was tagging him," Murphy said. "I had a gut feeling that he wasnt at the base yet. I think maybe what happened I blocked out the umpire a little bit just because of how the throw was." Choo reached base for the fourth time on a four-pitch walk to start the ninth against Phillies left-hander Mario Hollands (0-1), who was making his major league debut. After Elvis Andrus sacrifice bunt and walk to Prince Fielder on a full count, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg went to right-hander B.J. Rosenberg. Beltre singled softly to rightt-centre field, scoring Choo without a throw.dddddddddddd "Yeah, thats a tough spot for him," Sandberg said of Hollands. "I thought he showed his stuff actually even though he walked two guys. He threw some effective pitches to Fielder there, might have been one strike away from getting him out." New Texas closer Joakim Soria got the win with a perfect ninth inning in his season debut. Mitch Morelands single got the Rangers within 2-1 in the sixth, and Beltre had a tying double with two outs in the seventh to score Choo, who had two singles and was hit by a pitch before his ninth-inning walk. "It was nice to get that win coming from behind and now the chance to win the series," Beltre said. Perez had seven strikeouts through five shutout innings but didnt make it through the sixth, giving up hits to four of the six batters he faced in the inning. Howard batted fifth for the Phillies, snapping a streak of 665 straight regular-season starts as the cleanup hitter dating to June 29, 2008, also against the Rangers. He went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts, including one with two runners on in the eighth inning after the Rangers intentionally walked Marlon Byrd. Philadelphias A.J. Burnett left with a 2-1 lead after six innings in the debut for his fifth team covering 16 seasons. The 37-year-old right-hander gave up seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. NOTES: Rangers RHP Colby Lewis threw 92 pitches in a minor league exhibition game for Frisco as he continues his comeback from hip surgery. He gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings. ... The Rangers tweeted an apology after a picture circulated from opening day showing dozens of empty beer cans and bottles at the base of a statue honouring Shannon Stone, the firefighter who died in a fall at the Rangers home stadium in 2011. The team said the debris was removed "in a timely manner but it should not have been allowed to be placed there in the first place. ' ' '