Finally

After 14 years, Gwynn returns to Fall Classic

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Posted: Thursday October 15, 1998 02:03 AM

Redemption time: Gwynn went 5-for-19 (.263) at the plate in his only World Series appearance 14 years ago AP

ATLANTA (AP) -- Tony Gwynn is going back to the World Series, and he's taking a whole new cast of San Diego Padres with him.

Gwynn is the only player left from the 1984 Padres team that rallied from two down in the best-of-5 NL championship series against the Chicago Cubs for the franchise's first pennant. He made the final out as the Detroit Tigers won the World Series in five games, and has been trying to get back ever since.

Gwynn had two singles in the Padres' 5-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday that clinched the NL championship series 4-2 and put the Padres in the World Series against the New York Yankees.

"This is a great day for us," he said. "We really stepped up."

Gwynn, 38, has never been to Yankee Stadium, but the Padres' team bus circled it twice this year when the driver got lost trying to get them from Shea Stadium to the airport.

Gwynn was coming off his first batting title in 1984, and he's since won seven more to tie Honus Wagner's NL record of eight. He had 148 hits this season to push his career total to 2,928.

Gwynn was bothered by nagging injuries this season and hit .321, which would be great for most major leaguers but sub-par for Gwynn, a lifetime .339 hitter.

The sweet-swinging lefty has often said that he'd give back all those batting titles for another chance to win a World Series ring, and now he's got it in the twilight of his career.

Gwynn's 1984 teammates included Goose Gossage, Steve Garvey and Graig Nettles. Others on that team were Bruce Bochy, now the manager; Tim Flannery, now the third base coach; and Greg Booker, the bullpen coach.

His current teammates include Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, Trevor Hoffman and Wally Joyner, all going to the Series for the first time.

Kevin Brown is going back for the second straight year, and Jim Leyritz gets to face the team he helped steer toward the '96 World Series championship with his dramatic homer off Atlanta's Mark Wohlers in Game 4.  

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