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Tony Gwynn was statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year career (1982–2001) for the San Diego Padres. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007. Gwynn made a name for himself by being one of the most consistent contact hitters in the game's history – unbelievably he struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats, and never batted below .309 in any full season, although he hit .289 in his rookie season. Between 1984 and 1997 he won eight batting titles, tying him with Rogers Hornsby for the most ever by a National League player. In 1994 Gwynn batted .394, the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the 1994 season not been shortened by a strike, Gwynn would have had the chance to become the first batter to eclipse the magical .400 mark in more than 50 years. In the end, Gwynn fell three hits short of the .400 mark in the shortened season.
Offered here is a Tony Gwynn 1997 fielding glove that appears to have been prepared for use by Gwynn. This dark blue Rawlings Gold Glove series PRO302-S0 model has the name TONY GWYNN stitched above the right thumb area. It has been broken in with the thumb and pinky aligned which is consistent with how Gwynn prepared his gloves. However, it should be noted that the glove is still fairly stiff and it would be difficult to ascribe any game use to it. Notably, the glove does come with a LOA from John Boggs & Associates (JBA) sports marketing firm which apparently represented Gwynn. The letter, dated October 1, 1997, reads:
Dear Mr XXXXX,
Enclosed is the glove Tony Gwynn promised he would send you at the San Francisco show.
Because of this good faith gesture on Tony's part, it would be most appreciated if you could make a donation of no less than $50.00 to a local charity on behalf of Tony Gwynn.
Thank you for your interest in Tony.
Sincerely,
The JBA LOA will be included provided to the winner of this item. View Lot Detail page