Eric Gagne
| Éric Gagné | |||
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Gagné with the Los Angeles Dodgers
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: January 7, 1976 Montreal, Quebec |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 7, 1999, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 2008, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 33–26 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.47 | ||
| Strikeouts | 718 | ||
| Saves | 187 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Éric Serge Gagné (French pronunciation: [ɡɑɲe]) (born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. Signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball as a free agent in 1995, Gagné began his career as a starting pitcher. After he struggled in that role, the Dodgers converted Gagné from a starter to a reliever, where for three years (2002–2004) he was statistically the most outstanding closer in the game, winning the Cy Young Award in 2003. During that period, he set a major league record by converting 84 consecutive save opportunities. The phrase "Game Over" was heavily used by the Dodgers and the media in connection with his appearances to finish close games.
Gagné played sparingly in 2005 and 2006 due to injury, undergoing elbow surgery in 2005 and back surgery in 2006. The Dodgers did not re-sign him after 2006, and Gagné started the 2007 season with the Texas Rangers, where he briefly enjoyed success again as a closer. However, he was less successful in stints with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, and was finally released after the 2008 season.
In December 2007, days after signing a contract for 2008 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was linked to baseball's steroids scandal after he was named in the Mitchell Report.
Gagné, from a Québécois family, grew up in the town of Mascouche, near Montreal, Quebec. As a boy, he played baseball and ice hockey at Montreal's Polyvalente Édouard-Montpetit High School, the same high school that Russell Martin attended.
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