On This Date in Sports August 28, 2003
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Los Angeles Dodgers Closer Eric Gagne sets a single-season record when he records his 44th straight save to start the season. The previous record was set by Tom “Flash” Gordon with the Boston Red Sox in 1998. Gagne would finish the season without a blown save, record 55 saves as he won the Cy Young Award. Overall Eric Gagne streak would last 84 games over three seasons.
Eric Gagne was born January 7, 1976, in Montreal. A star in Quebec, Gagne attended Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma. There he learned to speak English and caught the eye of major league scouts, and eventually signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent. However, suffered an early setback when he missed the entire 1997 season after Tommy John surgery. Despite the bump in the road, Gagne made his debut with the Dodgers as a September call-up in 1999.
After struggling as a starter, the Dodgers converted Eric Gagne to a reliever in 2002, as he took over the closer role when Jeff Shaw retired. Gagne excelled in the closer role, having a breakout season with 52 saves as he was an All-Star for the first time in his career. Eric Gagne’s streak began in 2002 on August 28th, as the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0. In his one inning of work at Dodger Stadium Gagne, allowed one hit and struck out three batters. Two days earlier, Eric Gagne suffered his fourth blown save of the season against the same Diamondbacks. Gagne would finish the season converting his final eight save opportunities as he established himself as one of the best closers in baseball.
With eight straight saves to end 2002, Eric Gagne’s streak became more and more impressive throughout the 2003 season. The Dodgers became so confident in Gagne’s reliability that they would write Game Over on the scoreboard as he entered to Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N Roses at Dodger Stadium. The bespectacled closer began the year with eight saves in April and added 11 in May. After another ten saves in June, Eric Gagne was an All-Star for the second straight season, entering the break with 31 saves. One year to the date that his streak started, Eric Gagne set the single-season record for consecutive saves, with his 44th save in a row closing a 6-3 win against the Houston Astros at Enron Field. Gagne was perfect in relief recording a four-out save to preserve a win for Paul Shuey. The previous record of 43 straight saves in a season was set by Tom “Flash” Gordon with the Boston Red Sox in 1998. Gagne would not blow a save the entire season, finishing the year with 55 saves, two short of matching the record 57 saves Bobby Thigpen had with the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Gagne would post a record of 2-3, with a 1.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 82.1 innings.
With 55 saves in 2003, Eric Gagne entered the 2004 season with 63 straight saves. The streak continued through the first three months, as he saves six in April and six in May. After another seven saves in June, Gagne’s streak reached 84 straight saves when he closed out an 8-5 win in the Freeway Series against the Anaheim Angels on the road on July 3rd. Two days later the streak would come to an end as he allowed two runs in the ninth inning against the Diamondbacks tied the game 5-5 at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers would win the 6-5 in extra innings.
In subsequent years, Eric Gagne’s name was linked to the Mitchell Report on Performance Enhancing Drugs as he later admitted to taking Human Growth Hormone during the years the streak was active. The 2004 season would be, Eric Gagne’s final season as an All-Star, as he faded quickly as he struggled through back troubles. After the 2006 season, Eric Gagne left the Dodgers and signed with the Texas Rangers, he would finish 2007 with the Boston Red Sox and pitched in the World Series, but his stock continued to plummet as his final major league season was in 2008 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Gagne would continue his career playing independent ball in 2009 but never returned to the majors.