Running through the 1988 Star set part 2

On with the oddball set that I started blogging about yesterday.

Card Number 847: Star Tony Gwynn "Padre Hitman", 1988; #5

So far this set has had minor league stats, major league stats, post-season stats... it's time for All-Star stats!

Definite bonus point for including where the All-Star games took place in the stats box on the back. That's extra data often isn't included. 

Card Number 848: Star Tony Gwynn "Padre Hitman", 1988; #6

A slightly different approach to stats - basically Tony's best stats in a season and in an individual game up to this point. This is always a more interesting set of stats and rarely done by card companies.

At this point in his career, Tony had yet to record a five-hit game. He had stolen five bases in one game, though, at the end of September 1985 in Houston.

Card Number 849: Star Tony Gwynn "Padre Hitman", 1988; #7

And abruptly, the cardbacks shift from stats boxes to mammoth blocks of text. Weirdly, these go back in time, starting with Tony's break out season in 1983 and going backwards to his minor league season in 1981.

There is a huge amount of information to unpack on this cardback. It serves as a very useful reminder of Tony's early career with details that have since been marginalised by all of Tony's achievements. (The story that he went off to Puerto Rico to play winter baseball and broke his wrist at the end of the 1982 season isn't usually talked about.)

Card Number 850: Star Tony Gwynn "Padre Hitman", 1988; #8

Although all the photos in this set seem to be from the same game, it doesn't seem to have been well attended judging by the empty seats in the background here. 

On the back we have another chunk of biography. This is all about Tony's achievements in 1984, including becoming the first Padres player to record 200 hits in a season.

Part 3 of this run-through tomorrow!

Total: 850 cards