After 20 years in Major League Baseball, all of them with the San Diego Padres, Tony Gwynn has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

When he does, baseball will have lost another of its irreplaceable stars - a magician with the bat who put up numbers that seem impossible in baseball's modern age.

"It's been a great run. I never would've imagined 20 years ago that I'd be standing here, talking about a career that's lasted this long.

"I've really surprised myself," Gwynn said at his retirement news conference.

"All in all, I think I did okay."

To say he did "okay" is typical of Gwynn's trademark modesty. "Incredible" or "remarkable" would be more fitting descriptions, but you will never hear Gwynn use words like those to describe himself.

He is a certainty to be voted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. They say baseball is all about numbers, and Gwynn's numbers are mind-boggling.

His career batting average is 338, putting him 16th on the all-time list.

Since the Second World War, only Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest hitter of all time, has a higher career average.

Since hitting 289 in 1982, his debut year, Gwynn has hit over 300 for 18 consecutive seasons, a National League record.

An eight-time NL batting champion, he hit more than 370 in a season four times.

Since Williams hit 406 in 1941, all other major league players combined have done it only eight times.

Gwynn reached the magical 3,000 career hit total in 2,284 games, faster than any other players in history except turn-of-the-century greats Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie.

The most bittersweet of all Gwynn's numbers is 394.