Gwynn’s in Right Place

Tony Gwynn wouldn’t look right hitting No. 3,000 in anything but a San Diego Padre uniform. It’s the only one he has ever worn in the majors.

He came to the city in 1977 to play point guard for the San Diego State basketball team and never left, except for the 1 1/2 seasons he spent in the minors.

Gwynn might have joined the NBA’s woeful Clippers, who were in San Diego back in June 1981 when they made him a 10th-round draft pick on the day the Padres took him in the third round of the baseball draft.

Choosing baseball over basketball was a great career choice, of course. Gwynn is only a few of his sweet left-handed swings away from reaching the definitive milestone for hitters.

“To get them all in one uniform, to get them all in one league, those things are important to me,” said Gwynn, who is 15 hits short. “That’s why I’m still here.”

Gwynn hoped to have the ball from his 3,000th hit in his trophy case by late May or early June. But getting there has been slow because of a strained left calf muscle that sidelined him for 41 games.

The injury created a race between Gwynn and Wade Boggs to become the 22nd member of the 3,000-hit club similar to the one in 1992, when Robin Yount got his 3,000th hit three weeks before George Brett.

Boggs, who was well behind Gwynn at the start of the season, is 13 hits short of the mark. Cal Ripken needs 46.

Gwynn, who needs 14 hits, wants to be the first to get there.

“I’ve chased those guys for I don’t know how many years,” he said. “I just hope we all get there this year, to be honest. We’ve got a chance to go down in the record books. I mean, I’m pulling for those guys; I’m not pulling against them.”