RIP Padres legend, Hall of Famer and hit artist Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn was the natural heir to Ted Williams as his era's foremost connoisseur of pure hitting. Just as Williams wrote a book called The Science of Hitting, Gwynn's was called The Art of Hitting. Gwynn was passionate about reviewing video of his at-bats, took copious notes on opposing pitchers, won eight batting titles and became one of the 28 MLB players to reach 3,000 hits (video above).

Gwynn retired in 2001 with a .338 average, the highest of any player who was active after 1960. He was an impressive base-stealer early in his career - including 56 swipes in 1987 -- and had a stellar college basketball career at San Diego State. Gwynn spent his entire Major League career in San Diego and was a cornerstone player for both Padres teams to have made the World Series, in 1984 and '98.

The Hall of Famer died of salivary gland cancer at age 54 on Monday, and is survived by his wife Alicia, his daughter Anisha and his son Tony, who is an outfielder for the Phillies. Rest in peace, Tony.

UPDATE: Time stops for no one. But, occasionally, it appears to slow as the mortals left in this vale mourn the loss of a particularly admirable human being. On Monday, June 16, 2014, men, women, boys and girls across Major League Baseball took the time to honor Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn.

In Seattle, the Mariners hosted the Padres and honored Gwynn by placing a No. 19 in the dirt at the 5.5 hole the Hall of Famer made a career of exploiting:

In Cleveland, pitcher Justin Masterson reflected on his time at San Diego State University, where he played for coach Tony Gwynn:

In Atlantaa, where Tony Gwynn Jr.'s Phillies were playing the Braves, his No. 19 jersey was on display in the dugout:

The No. 19 of @tonygwynnjr hangs in the @Phillies dugout in Atlanta: http://t.co/dDqzqWu9HX pic.twitter.com/LMZJYHVF2V

- MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2014

In Los Angeles, legendary broadcaster Vin Scully spoke fondly of Gwynn's infectious smile: