Dodgers News: Steve Garvey (who should know) weighs in on the “boiling” rivarly between LA and San Diego
LOS ANGELES — By all accounts, Steve Garvey is a man who has lived many baseball lives—Dodger legend, Padres hero, iron man of the National League, and one of the game’s most recognizable faces of the 1970s and 80s. But on a recent episode of the MLB Network Podcast, Garvey—ten-time All-Star and 1974 NL MVP—touched on something that’s as relevant now as ever: the increasingly heated rivalry between Los Angeles and San Diego, two teams with which he left an indelible mark.
“It’s boiling, no question,” Garvey said of the current Dodgers-Padres rivalry. “And that’s a good thing. Rivalries are the heartbeat of the sport. I was lucky to play on both sides of this one—and to help define it.”
Garvey is uniquely qualified to comment on the dynamic between the two Southern California clubs. He spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers, anchoring the infield of one of the most storied eras in franchise history, before signing with the Padres in 1983 and delivering one of the franchise’s most iconic moments—a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 1984 NLCS to help force a decisive Game 5 and send the Padres to their first World Series.
“Still gives me chills,” Garvey said when recalling the home run off Cubs closer Lee Smith. “San Diego had never had that kind of moment before. That swing changed the trajectory of a franchise.”
But make no mistake—Garvey’s heart is still very much in Dodger Blue.
When asked which current Dodger he’s most excited to watch (besides Shohei Ohtani), Garvey didn’t hesitate: “Freddie Freeman. He plays the game the way I did. Contact hitter, goes the other way, plays every day, plays for the love of it. He could’ve fit right in on our ’70s teams. He plays the game the right way.”
That’s high praise from someone who played in 1,207 consecutive games, a National League record that still stands. Garvey’s longevity, consistency, and playoff prowess—he batted .338 over his postseason career—have made him a sentimental favorite for Hall of Fame induction, a campaign that continues to gain traction.
“It’s not 500 home runs or 3,000 hits, but it’s a 20-year body of work I’m very proud of,” Garvey said. “We’re in the memory business, and I’ve created a lot of good ones for fans around the world.”
He credits much of his journey to the opportunity he seized on June 23, 1973, when Dodgers manager Walter Alston unexpectedly asked if he could play first base. Garvey, then a pinch-hitting third baseman with a wild arm, said yes—and never looked back.
“That one yes changed my life,” Garvey said. “It’s what I tell young people when I speak: Be ready. Be open. Say yes to the moment.”
His move to San Diego in 1983, however, wasn’t by design. As he recounted in the podcast, the Dodgers were unwilling to match offers from other clubs, and he ultimately chose the Padres after a heartfelt conversation with owner Ray Kroc at his cliffside home in La Jolla.
“Ray said, ‘I know what you can do on the field, but San Diego needs someone to teach this city what a veteran looks like—someone who gives back,’” Garvey recalled. “I’ll never forget that. It was bigger than baseball.”
That sense of purpose has followed Garvey into his post-playing career, where he continues to speak publicly, advocate for charitable causes, and make occasional celebrity appearances—a nod to his former life in the Hollywood orbit of the late ‘70s.
“There was Sinatra singing the anthem on Opening Day, Don Rickles in the clubhouse, Fantasy Island guest spots, pilots all the time,” Garvey said with a chuckle. “We were athletes, but we were entertainers too.”
Now 76, Garvey remains active, if not quite as jacked as his playing days. “I’m a little shorter now,” he joked. “But I’ve got a better strike zone.”
And though his playing career is long over, Garvey’s presence looms large—especially whenever the Dodgers and Padres clash. To him, the intensity of the rivalry is a sign that both teams are doing something right.
“You need villains. You need passion. That’s what makes baseball great,” Garvey said. “If the Dodgers and Padres are both in it every year, Southern California wins. The fans win.”
And from the sound of it, Steve Garvey—batboy turned MVP turned bridge between two franchises—wouldn’t want it any other way.
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