Garvey Wants Surgery on His Left Shoulder, Expects to Miss Remainder of ’87 Season

SAN DIEGO — Steve Garvey, Padre first baseman, said Monday he expects to miss the rest of the 1987 season because of a torn bicep tendon in his left shoulder.

Garvey, 38, was placed on the 21-day disabled list and said he wants to undergo surgery as soon as possible so he can be ready for the 1988 season.

“I’d still like to play one more year,” he said. “That’s the goal at this point.”

If he plays, it almost surely won’t be with the Padres. His $1.45-million contract is up after this season, and Padre sources say there is “no chance” he’ll be back in ’88.

“If this is it, then it was an interesting ending,” Garvey said. “I lined a ball to center (in his last at-bat Saturday night), but the response of the fans was special. There was a cheer when I got up to the plate, and a cheer when I got back to the dugout.

“If that’s it, I’m very pleased with what I’ve accomplished here. I feel I’ve helped raise the standards, the credibility, the interest, the awareness of what can be accomplished here. There’s no reason why this couldn’t be the second-best organization in baseball, right behind the Dodgers.”

Garvey, who was benched earlier this month and was batting .211 before he went on the disabled list, has 2,599 career hits.

He said he would prefer to play in Southern California next year, which leaves the Dodgers and Angels. He would rather return to the Dodgers, for whom he played 12 seasons. But he said he wouldn’t rule out going to the Angels as a designated hitter.

“I’d consider it,” he said of the Angels. “But let’s first get healthy. I wouldn’t sign anything unless I could contribute the way I can contribute.”

A surgery date has not been set yet, and won’t be until Garvey is examined by team doctors today.

General Manager Jack McKeon said, “It’s similar to what Atlee Hammaker had (the Giant pitcher has been bothered by the injury for the last three seasons), but it’s not as serious with a position player as it is for a pitcher. Certainly it’s season-ending if he has an operation.”

Garvey first experienced pain in his left shoulder last season, but he was told it was tendinitis.

Then he had trouble curling 15-pound weights during spring training this year, and he aggravated the injury on a check swing during an exhibition game in Las Vegas last Thursday.

“The arm went numb,” he said.

Later that night, a muscle in the biceps area swelled as a result of the torn tendon. He pinch-hit in Saturday night’s game against Montreal, and he said: “I hit it sharply, but by the time I got to first base, my arm was talking to me.”

After Sunday’s game, he talked to Dr. Paul Hirschman, General Manager Jack McKeon and Manager Larry Bowa, and surgery was the main topic. Garvey said he actually preferred surgery.

“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in about seven weeks,” he said. “I wake up three, four times a night. It aches. It gets to the point where you’re frustrated. You don’t know what it is. You lose sleep over it, and you can’t hit the way you wanted.”

So he has likely played his final game of the season. Recovery, according to Garvey, will take anywhere from three to six months.

“There’s no reason to come back in September,” he said.

Garvey said doctors have told him his injury is probably not career-threatening. But he says that if he can’t come back, he won’t fret.

“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “My consecutive-game streak, my MVP year (1974). It’s a career that’s been charmed. I’ve enjoyed the 17 years, and one more would be just right. I’ve played on world championship teams, I’m 10-0 in all-star games, 5-0 in playoffs. . . . If it isn’t to be, I’ve been blessed.

“Listen, I’m glad it’s not my throwing arm (that’s injured). Then I’d definitely be through.”