Guerrero Surgery Goes as Planned; Recovery Begins

The ruptured tendon in Pedro Guerrero’s left knee was surgically reattached Friday, and he began a recuperation of about three months.

Guerrero, 29, who has had two other serious leg injuries in his career, tore up the knee Thursday while sliding into third base during the Dodgers’ 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves in an exhibition game at Vero Beach, Fla.

“Everything went as planned,” said Dr. Frank Jobe, who performed the surgery at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. “The area was disrupted at both ends--the kneecap and the shinbone.”

Jobe had said after examining Guerrero on Thursday that the surgery would involve drilling two holes in the tibia (shinbone) and suturing the patella tendon to the tibia.

Jobe said Guerrero would be hospitalized about three days and would wear a hinged brace for about six weeks. Physical therapy to keep other leg muscles active would begin immediately, he said.

The patella tendon injury is the same one suffered during the 1969-70 pro basketball season by Wilt Chamberlain of the Lakers. After surgery, also performed by Jobe, Chamberlain missed 70 games but came back strong as ever. And in 1972 the Lakers, with Chamberlain, won their first NBA championship.

Jobe said the injury is considered serious, but not necessarily career-threatening.

Guerrero said Thursday on the flight back to Los Angeles that he is trying to put such thoughts out of his mind. “I don’t want to go crazy now. When I broke my ankle, I thought I was out for good. . . . I don’t want to think that way. I see so many injuries to baseball and basketball players and they come back.”

Guerrero had been hesitant to slide during his eight major-league seasons because of the two previous injuries. He broke an ankle in a slide in 1977 and tried sliding head-first for two years, until he was bothered by jammed shoulders.

In 1980 he tore ligaments in the same knee that he injured Thursday.

Guerrero, running to third on what was supposed to be a hit-and-run play, attempted to pull up when the ball wasn’t hit. He jammed his spikes into the dirt about 15 feet from the bag.

“I heard something pop, I grabbed my knee and it felt big,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero batted .320 with 33 home runs and 87 runs batted in last season, including a league-record 15 homers and 26 RBI in June as the Dodgers took control of the Western Division race.

With their most productive hitter now sidelined, the Dodgers were considering a trade for an established outfielder but planned to platoon left-handed hitting Franklin Stubbs and right-handed hitter Reggie Williams in left field if no deal is made.