On the field, Garvin found that his luck had not improved while pitching with Chicago and Brooklyn. His 2.09 ERA in 1902 earned him only an 11–11 record. He had a 15–18 record the next year, despite a better-than-average 3.08 ERA. In 1904, Garvin pitched for a 1.72 ERA, a full run better than the league average, but he finished with a 5–16 record. His last two major league appearances came with the New York Highlanders at the end of the 1904 season. Bill James wrote that Garvin was "pretty much the tough-luck pitcher of the year every year."
