Baseball Report : Oliver Retires With a .303 Career Mark

Al Oliver, a .303 lifetime hitter who played with seven major league teams over 18 seasons, including the Dodgers for part of last season, officially announced his retirement from the game Thursday at the age of 39.

Oliver has a meeting scheduled with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth today to gain support for a suicide-prevention project in which Oliver is involved. He is on the board of a rapidly growing organization called Suicide Is Not Painless, which has its base of operations in Arlington, Tex.

“Drugs keep getting most of our attention and I can understand that, but suicide has also become a very serious problem in our society” Oliver said.

An arbitrator rejected Padre center fielder Kevin McReynolds’ bid for a 1986 salary of $450,000 and instead sided with the team, which had offered $275,000.

McReynolds, 26, earned $150,000 last season after turning down a six-year, $4.5 million deal in apparent hopes of parlaying a big 1985 season into a favorable arbitration ruling for 1986.

But after a 1984 season in which he hit .278 with 20 home runs, McReynolds slumped in 1985 to .234 with 15 homers. He was benched briefly by Manager Dick Williams at one point last season for lack of production.

The New York Post, quoting Mets’ Vice President Al Harazin, said that Dwight Gooden, the 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner, will sign a contract worth about $1.3 million next week. Gooden, who received $450,000 from the Mets last year, filed for arbitration Jan. 20.

Veteran relief pitcher Al Holland, who finished the season with the Angels last year, signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees. The contract included a drug-testing clause, the club announced.