There was only one Tony Gwynn "” and there may never be another like him. Mr. Padre batted over .300 an NL-record 19 times never hit below .309 in a full season and ended his sterling career with a .338 career average that ranks supreme among all post-WWII players. He won as many batting crowns as Honus Wager (8) and was eclipsed only by Ty Cobb (12) had an unprecedented four 5-hit games in '93 and struck out just 434 times in 10232 plate appearances. Mix that in with five Gold Gloves and the rest is inevitable: election to the Hall of Fame with the seventh-best voting percentage in history (97.61 percent).

Presented here is his game-worn alternate jersey from his remarkable 1997 season in which he won his final batting title with the 2nd highest average of his career (.372). He also tallied career highs in hits (220) home runs (17) and RBI (119) as well. That's some historical oomph right there. A detailed "9/13/97 #2760 # 2761 STL." notation in black ink on the shirttail tagging links this treasure directly to a September 13 1997 road contest against the St. Louis Cardinals where Gwynn notched hit No.'s 2760 and 2761 in his relentless pursuit of 3000. He went 2-5 with two runs and two RBI in the Padres' 8-3 win that afternoon in St. Louis. Getty images from that game are attached.

The midnight-blue button-down jersey sports a Russell Athletic Diamond Collection Size 50 label on the left front tail with aforementioned handwritten notations of the date and hit numbers. A "100% Polyester" flap tag is attached. "PADRES" appears across the chest in navy-on-white-on-orange tackle twill with white piping accents on the button-path and sleeve openings plus a monk logo patch on the left sleeve. The jersey shows solid wear overall with some pilling and minor fraying. It was framed for several years in Gwynn's Poway home. This jersey was previously sold for $3691 in our 2015 Spring Premier as part of the Tony Gwynn Collection.

Includes Letter of Authenticity signed by Tony's widow Alicia Gwynn.