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This bat is was manufactured by H & B at the request of Tony Gwynn for his personal professional use. The labeling dates to the 1986-89 H & B label period, however Tony's personal H & B records document the manufacture of this bat specifically to a single order dated 3/1/88. This bat measures 32.5 inches in length and weighs approximately 31 ounces. Gwynn's personal ordering records show that this bat was invoiced to Tony Gwynn personally via his agent at the time, Jonh Boggs (Garvey Marketing, later to become John Boggs Associates.) This bat is a model G170, a relatively rare Gwynn GU model to find. It was ordered with specific length and weight of 32.5 inches (actual length 32.65") and 31 ounces with a Flame Treated finish. Tony has signed this bat above the barrel label in black Sharpie with a perfect 5 1/2 inch long sutograph.
This bat displays significant game use, and exhibits knob wear, ball and hit marks (most in the 'Gwynn hitting area' below the barrel label), rack marks, and slight grain separation. Tony has placed a black mark on the knob of this bat. This bat has sustained a handle crack approximately 13 inches from the knob --- the wood is slightly displaced at that point. Tony Gwynn was a prolific user of bats of different models and from different manufacturers throughout his career. This represents an opportunity for the advanced Gwynn collector to add a highly desirable H & B model to a collection of a wide variety of bats from different manufacturers used by Tony.
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 history of the game --- 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. View Lot Detail page
This bat displays significant game use, and exhibits knob wear, ball and hit marks (most in the 'Gwynn hitting area' below the barrel label), rack marks, and slight grain separation. Tony has placed a black mark on the knob of this bat. This bat has sustained a handle crack approximately 13 inches from the knob --- the wood is slightly displaced at that point. Tony Gwynn was a prolific user of bats of different models and from different manufacturers throughout his career. This represents an opportunity for the advanced Gwynn collector to add a highly desirable H & B model to a collection of a wide variety of bats from different manufacturers used by Tony.
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 history of the game --- 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. View Lot Detail page