Gibson’s Hamstring Tear Is Repaired During Surgery

Exploratory surgery on Kirk Gibson’s left knee Tuesday revealed an unusual hamstring tear that was repaired and is expected to heal by spring training next year.

“Everything went very well, and while we think he should be ready by the spring, we won’t know until he has undergone the full rehabilitation,” said Frank Jobe, the Dodger physician who performed the 90-minute surgery with the assistance of Robert Teitge, formerly a Detroit Tiger doctor.

Gibson, who was placed on the disabled list for the second time on July 23 after playing with a mysterious pain, agreed to the surgery in hopes that a problem could be found and corrected. If nothing else, it appears that has happened.

“It was encouraging that we could find something definite, something that we could put a finger on and say there ,” Jobe said. “Kirk is much happier now than he was before. Anybody who feels pain but the tests say nothing is wrong, they start wondering about themselves.”

Jobe, however, cautioned that this was the first such injury he had seen in a baseball player--usually hamstring tears are discovered and healed without surgery. This tear was found in a tendon just below Gibson’s knee. Judging by the surrounding tissue, it could have been torn since last season, when Gibson missed all but one famous at-bat in the World Series with similar leg problems.

“The injury is in the books, but of all the tests we know, none of them could show it without the surgery,” Jobe said. “It is in a very unusual spot.”

Gibson, last season’s National League most valuable player, played in 71 games this season, batting .213 with nine homers and 28 RBIs. As a testament to the Dodgers’ lack of speed, he is still tied for the team lead with 12 steals.

Gibson will wear a splint for about a week. He will then fly to Michigan to rehabilitate this winter under Teitge’s supervision. Gibson is then expected to participate in January workouts at Dodger Stadium.