A Finest example of the .394 season

This week I will reach my target of blogging about 394 Tony Gwynn cards. As we edge closer to that 394th card, I thought it would be nice to look at a card from the season that is the inspiration for the project - the year that Tony Gwynn recorded a batting average of .394 and was literally just 3 hits shy of recording .400 for the season.

It was, of course, a bit of an anomalous season, as it ended in disarray in August. In a way that makes it a parallel to this year's Major League season which has been significantly restricted because of the global coronavirus pandemic. 

The San Diego Padres have had an excellent 2020 - their most winningest season ever! - and tomorrow night will be playing the Dodgers after having already won their first post-season series since 1998! All their achievements, however, will be noted as taking place in a truncated season. That doesn't make them less special or worthy, just that things are different this year.

The same was true of 1994. The unanswered question will always be, would Tony have scored .394 over a full season if it had run on into September? There is evidence both ways. His form was blistering at the point when the season was cancelled, but he may well have peaked then and not been able to maintain it. We will never know, and we have to accept the stats for what they are, from when they are.

Card Number 392: Topps Finest, 1994; #201

This is a rare "peeled" version of a Finest card.

The scan does not capture the vibrant nature of this card, when held in hand. It is shiny and colourful. The swirl pattern creates a  very mid-90s look.

The "Finest Moment" on the back relates to an event ten years previously. Tony's batting average the season this card was produced would become the achievement he was most known for. Up until that year though, Topps had decided that winning the National League pennant for the Padres was his moment of glory.

It is an achievement that perhaps gets overlooked now. But back in 1994 the 1984 post-season was the only one the Padres had qualified for in franchise history. Tony went on to be the sole player to feature in both the Padres' two World Series appearances to date, with a 14 season gap between appearances. 

After 1994 and the .394 batting average, Tony's achievements in the 1980s were eclipsed. This Finest card is a shiny memento of what will always be his finest season.

Total: 392/394