Los Angeles Dodgers Garvey was drafted by the
Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round of the
1968 MLB draft (June secondary phase). He had two more plate appearances in 1969 as a pinch hitter and recorded his first hit on September 10, off
Denny Lemaster of the
Houston Astros. He played
third base for the Dodgers in 1970 and hit his first home run on July 21, 1970, off
Carl Morton of the
Montreal Expos. He moved to
first base in 1973 after the retirement of
Wes Parker. Garvey was part of one of the most enduring infields in baseball history, along with third baseman
Ron Cey, shortstop
Bill Russell, and second baseman
Davey Lopes. The four infielders
stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years, starting on June 13, 1973. Garvey is one of only two players to have started an All-Star Game as a write-in vote, doing so in
1974. That year, he won the
NL MVP award and had the first of six 200-hit seasons. In the
1978 National League Championship Series, which the Dodgers won over the
Philadelphia Phillies, Garvey hit four home runs and added a triple for five extra base hits, both marks tying
Bob Robertson's
1971 NLCS record and earning him the
League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award;
Jeffrey Leonard would tie the NLCS home run record in the
1987 NLCS. Garvey's cheerful personality, his availability with reporters, and his willingness to sign autographs for fans made him a very popular player, and the Dodgers took advantage of this, making him one of the main focuses of their public relations campaigns. This caused friction with some of his Dodger teammates, such as Cey and Lopes, who thought Garvey was only acting this way to get endorsement opportunities. Cey, Lopes, and another unnamed player criticized Garvey in a mid-June 1976
San Bernardino Sun-Telegram article, which prompted manager
Walter Alston to call a team meeting. At this meeting, Garvey said, "If anyone has anything to say about me, I want it said to my face, here and now." No one said anything.
Tommy John thought it was at this point that Alston, who retired at the end of the year, began to lose control of the team. Late in the 1978 season, the rift resurfaced when
The Washington Post published an article in which
Don Sutton was quoted complaining that Garvey was the only Dodger to get publicity, and insisting that
Reggie Smith was a better player. The day after the article appeared, Garvey confronted Sutton with a copy of it in the locker room of
Shea Stadium, where the Dodgers were playing a series against the
New York Mets. When Sutton affirmed that the quotes were his, the two got into a brawl. Garvey threw Sutton into Tommy John's locker, causing 96 baseballs John had been signing to fall out. Neither was hurt and the two managed to overcome their feud, making sure they were the first to congratulate each other on the field for the rest of the season. With the Dodgers, Garvey played in 1,727 games over 14 seasons and hit .301 with 211 homers and 992 RBI. Though San Diego had vastly outbid the Dodgers, McKeon noted Garvey's value in providing a role model for younger players. Additionally, Garvey's "box office appeal"—his impending departure from the Dodgers provoked some Girl Scouts to picket the stadium—helped San Diego increase its season ticket sales by 6,000 seats in Garvey's first year.
Sports Illustrated ranked the signing as the 15th best free agent signing ever as of 2008. in 1988, displayed at
Petco Park. His first season in San Diego allowed him to break the National League record for consecutive games played, a feat that landed him on the cover of
Sports Illustrated as baseball's "Iron Man". In an unusual homecoming, Garvey tied the record in his first appearance back at
Dodger Stadium in Padre brown. For breaking the record, he was named the National League Player of the Week. The streak ended at
1,207 consecutive games played (from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983) when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate against the
Atlanta Braves. It is the fourth-longest such streak in Major League Baseball history. It was Garvey's second season in San Diego, however, which would be his highlight in a Padres uniform. In 1984, Garvey became the only first baseman in MLB history to commit no errors while playing 150 or more games. He handled 1,319
total chances (1,232
putouts and 87
assists) flawlessly in 159 games for the Padres. Led by Garvey, who won his second
National League Championship Series MVP award, the
Padres won their first National League
pennant over the
Chicago Cubs in 1984. In Game 4,
Tony Gwynn drew an intentional walk that Garvey converted into one of his four RBIs. Garvey's career spanned from 1969 to 1987. In his 19-year MLB career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1,308 RBI in 2,332 games played. He appeared on the Classic Baseball Era Committee's ballot, but only received less than five votes. ==Post-baseball career==