Éric Gagné

Early Years and College

Éric Gagné grew up in Mascouche, Quebec, northeast of Montreal. His father, Richard, coached many of his Little League teams. During the winter, Gagné played hockey as a hard-hitting defenseman.

At the age of 15, Gagné moved to Montreal to attend Polyvalente Édouard-Montpetit High School, a school for high-performance athletes. He attended classes in the morning and pitched in the afternoon. He further honed his pitching skills with the Quebec provincial baseball team.

When he was 18, Gagné had to choose between a hockey scholarship with the University of Vermont and a baseball scholarship at Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma. He opted to pursue a baseball career. In his only season at Seminole State, in the spring of 1995, Gagné went 11–1. That summer, he joined the Canadian National Team and pitched in exhibition games leading up to an Olympic qualifying tournament. Los Angeles Dodgers scout Claude Pelletier, a fellow Quebecer who was already familiar with Gagné, convinced the Dodgers to sign the young right-hander. Gagne received a $75,000 signing bonus.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1996–2001)

Éric Gagné began his pro baseball career as a starting pitcher with the Dodgers’ Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 1996. He registered seven wins and had a 3.28 ERA in 23 appearances (21 starts) before undergoing Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the 1997 season.

Gagné returned in 1998 to join the starting rotation of the High-A Vero Beach Dodgers and went 9–7 with a 3.74 ERA in 25 starts. That season, the Dodgers prohibited him from throwing a slider or a split-finger fastball because they felt those pitches would be too hard on his arm. This inspired Gagné to work on his changeup, which eventually became his best pitch.

Gagné enjoyed a breakout season in 1999 when he won 12 games and posted a 2.63 ERA with 185 strikeouts for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He was named the Dodgers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year. That September, he received his first major league callup. He then recorded a 2.10 ERA in five starts for the Dodgers. That performance helped earn him a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation to begin the 2000 season. However, Gagné struggled, and he ended up splitting time between the big leagues and Triple-A.

Gagné’s inconsistency as a starter for the Dodgers continued in 2001. He was moved to the bullpen in the season’s final month.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–05)

After Dodgers’ closer Jeff Shaw retired following the 2001 season, manager Jim Tracy chose Éric Gagné as his replacement. Over the next three seasons, Gagné emerged as the most dominant relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. His arsenal included a fastball that could reach 100 mph — rare velocity at the time — and a deceptive changeup that he threw from the same arm slot. With these weapons, Gagné registered 52 saves in 2002. He was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished the season with a 1.97 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings.

Gagné was even better in 2003. He topped the National League in saves and was a perfect 55-for-55 in save opportunities. This made him the first major league pitcher to collect 50 or more saves in two consecutive seasons. Gagné allowed just 37 hits while striking out 137 batters and posting a 1.20 ERA in 82 1/3 innings. His performance earned him his second All-Star Game nod and the National League Cy Young Award as the league’s top pitcher. This made him the second Canadian to win the award (after Ferguson Jenkins in 1971) and only the ninth reliever in MLB history. He also finished sixth in the voting for the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

During the height of Gagné’s success, the 6-foot-2 bespectacled right-hander was one of the most popular players on the Dodgers. When he entered games from the bullpen at Dodger Stadium, “Game Over” would flash on a scoreboard, and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” would blast from the speakers.

Gagné continued to overpower hitters in 2004, when he notched 45 saves and was an All-Star for a third straight season. He also converted 21 consecutive saves to begin the season, which, combined with his streak from the previous seasons, set an MLB record of 84 consecutive saves. That streak ended with a blown save against the Arizona Diamondbacks on 5 July 2004.

In January 2005, Gagné signed a two-year, $19-million contract with the Dodgers. But in spring training, he suffered a knee injury. He then strained his right elbow, which forced him to begin the season on the injured list. He returned in mid-May to record eight saves in 14 games before he reinjured his elbow and underwent season-ending surgery. Gagné underwent a second elbow surgery in the spring of 2006. He recovered and appeared in two games for the Dodgers in early June. But his season was ended by another surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

Texas Rangers (2007)

The Dodgers declined to exercise Éric Gagné’s contract option. He then signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers in December 2006.

With the Rangers, Gagné rediscovered his form, recording a 2.16 ERA and amassing 16 saves in 34 appearances. Out of playoff contention, the Rangers dealt him to the Boston Red Sox on 31 July.

Boston Red Sox (2007)

With the Red Sox, Éric Gagné struggled in his role as a set-up man. He registered a 6.75 ERA in 20 appearances. Despite his subpar numbers, Gagné was included on the Red Sox postseason roster. He made five playoff appearances for them. When the Red Sox swept the Rockies in the World Series, Gagné became the first player from Quebec to win a World Series.

Mitchell Report

On 10 December 2007, Éric Gagné left the Red Sox to sign a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. However, three days after he signed, Gagné was named in the Mitchell Report as one of 89 former or current major league players to have used performance-enhancing drugs. The report indicated that Gagné had received two shipments of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in 2004.

At the beginning of Brewers’ spring training in 2008, Gagné apologized to his teammates but did not directly address the report. Two years later, Gagné admitted to the Los Angeles Times that he had used HGH to recover from a knee injury in 2005. “I will have to live with the mistake that I made for the rest of my life,” he told the Times.

In 2012, Martin Leclerc wrote a French-language biography about Gagné called Game Over: L'histoire d'Éric Gagné. In the book, Gagné estimated that 80 per cent of his Dodgers teammates were using performance-enhancing drugs.

Milwaukee Brewers (2008–09)

Despite a shaky spring training, Éric Gagné was named the Brewers’ closer to start the 2008 regular season. On 10 May, after he permitted two runs and was saddled with a loss against the St. Louis Cardinals, Gagné was removed from the closer’s role.

Later that month, Gagné was placed on the injured list with rotator cuff tendinitis. He missed more than a month before returning to serve in a set-up role. He finished the season with a 5.44 ERA with 10 saves in 50 appearances. He re-signed with the Brewers the following February but was released less than a month later.

Comeback Attempts

In 2009, Éric Gagné returned to his home province, making 17 starts for the Québec Capitales of the independent Canadian-American Association.

The following February, he signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers. But when he struggled during spring training, he asked for his release. Less than a month later, he announced his retirement.In 2015, Gagné started a game for the Aigles de Trois-Rivières of the independent Canadian-American Association. He followed that up by starting the final game of the season for the Ottawa Champions of the same independent circuit the next year. His performance in that start convinced him to pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic in 2017. The 41-year-old ended up striking out two in 2 1/3 scoreless innings in Canada‘s 4–1 loss to Colombia.

Gagné’s success inspired him to attempt another comeback in 2017, this time with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. But Gagné was hit hard in five relief outings before he retired for good.

Other Activities

From 2013 to 2016, Éric Gagné served as pitching coach and then manager of France’s national baseball team.

Career Accomplishments

Éric Gagné’s streak of 84 consecutive saves from 28 August 2002 to 5 July 2004 remains an MLB record. His 187 career MLB saves is the most by a Canadian pitcher. His 55 saves in 2003 are also the most in any MLB season by a Canadian. His three Major League All-Star Game selections are tied with Ferguson Jenkins for the most by a Canadian pitcher.

Awards

• Tip O’Neill Award, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2002, 2003)
• National League Cy Young Award, Major League Baseball (2003)
• National League Pitcher of the Year, Sporting News (2003)
• National League Rolaids Relief Award (2003, 2004)