SAN DIEGO (AP) -Tony Gwynn got the validation he was seeking, and then some.
Standing with his back to a ballpark he would have absolutely worn out if given the chance, Gwynn celebrated his election to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday by soaking up the sun and cheers from a few hundred fans - including construction workers in nearby condo towers.
He choked up while recalling his late father, and listened proudly as his San Diego State baseball players serenaded him with the school's fight song.
Gwynn considered his first-ballot election as a victory for the little guy, someone who rarely hit the ball over the fence but made an art form of hitting singles and doubles into the gaps, particularly his treasured ``5.5 hole'' between shortstop and third base.
``I knew who I was,'' Gwynn said during a news conference overlooking the Park at the Park, a grassy knoll beyond center field at Petco Park, the San Diego Padres' downtown home. ``I was comfortable with who I was.
``I'm excited about it because it gives me an opportunity to toot the horn of the contact guy, that guy who doesn't hit a whole lot of home runs, who sprays singles and doubles all around the yard, gets on base and scores runs. That's basically what I did.''
Gwynn, known as ``Mr. Padre'' because he spent his entire 20-year career in San Diego, and Cal Ripken Jr. easily attained baseball's highest honor in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Ripken got 537 votes and appeared on 98.53 percent of ballots to finish with the third-highest percentage behind Tom Seaver (98.84) and Nolan Ryan (98.79).
Gwynn received 532 votes for 97.61 percent, the seventh-highest ever, also trailing Ty Cobb, George Brett and Hank Aaron.
Gwynn said it ``would have been lovely'' to have his name checked by 90 percent of the voters.
He was thrilled to get more than that.
``Validation. That's the word I keep going back to,'' he said. ``Because for a hitter like me, I needed to do a lot of what I did to have a chance. I got my chance. I was a good player. I knew my place. I was not a game-changer, I was not a dominant guy.''
The left-handed hitter won eight batting titles to tie Honus Wagner's NL record, finishing with 3,141 hits and a .338 career average. He made 15 All-Star teams, won five Gold Gloves as an outfielder and helped the Padres reach the World Series twice, where they lost to Detroit in 1984 and the New York Yankees in 1998.
Gwynn said he broke down when he received the call Tuesday morning that he'd been elected.
He also choked up while talking about his father, Charles, who died of a heart condition at age 61 in November 1993.
``I think he'd be pretty proud today,'' Gwynn said after pausing to compose himself. ``He'd be pretty darned proud.''
Gwynn was joined on the dais by wife Alicia, daughter Anisha and son Tony Jr., who made his big league debut for the Milwaukee Brewers last season.
Gwynn is entering his fifth season as baseball coach at his alma mater. His players, wearing matching black SDSU polo shirts, attended the news conference.
``You guys look good,'' Gwynn said, tipping his ``Cooperstown'' cap toward them. The Aztecs got the day off because Gwynn had to fly to New York for several Hall-related appearances. But, their coach told them: ``We've got some work to do.''
His players later sang the SDSU fight song. Earlier, they were particularly impressed when Padres owner John Moores presented Gwynn with a Cadillac Escalade.
``For those of us who expect to live forever, we're never going to see a day like this in the history of the franchise,'' Moores said.
Gwynn retired after the 2001 season, and the Padres moved to Petco Park three years later.
Looking at the ballpark's enormous gaps, he said: ``For me, this would be a perfect place to hit.''
Gwynn made a serious run at hitting .400 in 1994, topping out at .394 before the players went on strike Aug. 12.
He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats.
``There are a lot of big league ballplayers who will strike out 20 times in a week, and they get paid a lot of money for doing it,'' Moores said.
Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman, who was at Petco Park working out, marveled at his former teammate's career.
``I'm glad I didn't have to face him,'' said Hoffman, baseball's all-time saves leader who joined the Padres in a midseason trade in 1993. ``He understood what he did well and perfected it. Pitchers didn't get him out. He got himself out.''
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