Steve Garvey, born Steven Patrick Garvey (December 22, 1948 in Tampa, Florida), is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career in the National League for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-82) and San Diego Padres (1983-87). He batted and threw right handed.

In a 19-year career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played.

Highlights

• 10-time All-Star (1974-81, 1984-85)
• Most Valuable Player (1974)
• 4-time Gold Glove Award (1974-77)
• Twice All-Star Game MVP (1974, 1978)
• 6-time led league in games played (1977-78, 1980-82, 1985)
• Twice led league in hits (1978-80)
• 7-time hit .300 or more (1973-76, 1978-80, )
• 6-time collected 200 or more hits (1974-76, 1978-80)
• 5-time drove in 100 or more runs (1974, 1977-80)
• Twice National League Championship Series MVP (1978, 1984)

Facts

• Garvey set a National League record with 1207 consecutive games played, from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983. The streak ended when he dislocated his finger in a collision at home plate against the Atlanta Braves.

• For most of his career, Garvey had a very clean-cut public image. For example, in a TV interview before the 1974 World Series when he explained that "I always try to act as though there is a little boy or a little girl around, and I try never to do anything that would give them a bad example." Garvey even had political aspirations, as he would gain the nickname "Senator." That all changed when two years after he played his last Major League game, it was revealed that he had fathered several children out of wedlock and was engaged to two women at the same time. To add insult to injury, Garvey's ex-wife Cyndy came out with a tell-all book.

• On his first trip to Los Angeles as a Padre, he took out a full-page newspaper ad thanking fans for their past support.

• From 1993-1998, Garvey served as a color commentator for CBS' coverage of the College World Series.

• The 1990 edition of the annual "Steve Garvey's Celebrity Billfishing Tournament" was a subject of ESPN Classic's comedy series Cheap Seats

External links

• The Baseball Page (profile and career analysis)
• Baseball Library (biography and career chronology)
• Baseball Reference (career statistics)
• The Diamond Angle (article)