Eric Gagne's season-ending elbow surgery went better than expected Friday: The Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star closer did not need a ligament replaced after all, and could return by spring training. Originally expected to be out 12-to-14 months following several MRI exams, Gagne now faces about six months recovery time, and he could start throwing a baseball even earlier. After the 90-minute surgery performed by Dr. Frank Jobe and Dr. Ralph Gambardella in Los Angeles, Jobe gave his optimistic report to Gagne. "He was so excited," Jobe said during a conference call before the Dodgers played the Los Angeles Angels. "I mean, he was still pretty much asleep, but he was awake enough to understand it. He just smiled and put his fist up in the air." The doctors found a slight amount of fraying from the original graft that was stitched when Gagne underwent Tommy John surgery in 1997. Also, there were nerves that had scarred down onto the graft, which was causing Gagne considerable pain. The surgery relieved the pressure the nerves were placing on the graft. "The ligament was intact, but there was a sensory nerve that was running right along the elbow bone, along with the ligament," Jobe said. "So the symptoms were identical to a ligament tear, but it was really just an irritation to the nerve."