On August 28th, 2002, Eric Gagne recorded a save against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 1-0 game started by lefty Odalis Perez. It was his 45th of the year in a season where he would record 52 saves. The streak would continue for the entire 2003 season and finally end on July 5th, 2004. Eighty-four consecutive games. No one has come close to matching it.
Between 2002 and 2004, Gagne would pile up 152 saves. In 2003, he won the Cy Young award. Considering he had 187 total for his career, that has to be nothing short of amazing. On Wednesday night, the Dodgers celebrated this feat and Gagne threw out the first pitch. His walk-in song, Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N Roses, blaring on the sound system, he stepped on the mound and fired a strike to Evan Phillips. Roberts had turned down his request. ” I don’t know what he is going to throw, and I don’t want him to embarrass me.” Roberts said.
Gagne holds the mound at Dodger Stadium in high esteem. “Every time I step on this mound, it is like a church to me”, he said. “It’s my office, on top of that little mound and walking in here with all that history, Tommy Lasorda, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, It is very humbling.” Gagne and Roberts were teammates over those years.
Over the streak, which lasted 87.2 innings, he struck out 139 batters and did not allow any of his inherited 123 runners to score. He allowed 2 runs, and no homers. No one has come close to matching those numbers. Gagne started his career with LA as a starting pitcher. But after 48 starts, an 11-14 record, he moved to the pen in 2002, became the closer and over the next three years he was the best in the league. He never started another game in the majors.
Gagne only pitched in 14 games in 2005 as an injury cut his season short. He did save 8 games and had 2,70 ERA. Home runs had been one of his big bugaboos as a starter. He gave up 47 in his first three years. Over his career, he gave up 76. So, over the next 8 seasons, he only gave up 29.
Gagne would spend most of 2005 on the DL. He had signed a 2-year, 19-million-dollar deal after the 2004 season. It was announced that he would undergo a second Tommy John surgery. His first was in 1997. Returning after a second TJ surgery at that time was unheard of. Since then, though, former Dodger reliever, Hong-Chih Kou did it. While performing the surgery, the doctors noticed that there was a nerve trapped by scar tissue and were able to release it with a less invasive procedure. Gagne still missed the rest of the season.
He had some encouraging outings in spring, but then the pain in his elbow returned. This forced him to undergo a second surgery, this time removing the nerve entirely. On June 3rd, Gagne made his first appearance of 2006, He would pitch in two games, getting one save. Then the pain in his elbow returned. On July 4th, Gagne woke up with intense back pain. An examination revealed two herniated discs. He underwent season ending back surgery on July 8th.
Needless to say, after not getting much bang for their 19-million-dollar investment, the Dodgers declined to extend him at 12 million. He signed a one-year deal with Texas for 6 million, with another 5 in performance bonus money. He spent some more time on the DL in 2007, but overall, he managed a 2-0 record with 16 saves and a 2.16 ERA in 33.1 innings for the Rangers. Texas traded him to Boston at the deadline on July 31st. He did not fare as well in Boston. He was not their closer. He was brought in to be a set-up man for Jonathan Paplebon. He was knocked around in his early outings. He ended up with a 2-2 record, 3 blown saves and no saves at all. He pitched one perfect inning against the Rockies in the World Series.
Eric signed with the Brewers that winter for 10 million dollars with 1 million in incentives possible. He had his worst full season in the majors, finishing with a 4-3 record, 10 saves and a 5.44 ERA. He signed a minor league deal after the 2008 season with the Brewers, but he was released midway through spring training due to a shoulder injury. He would not pitch in the majors again.
He played for a Canadian team in Quebec in 2009, going 6-6 with a 4.65 ERA. He threw 2 shutouts, and 1 complete game. He signed with the Dodgers in 2010, hoping to make it back to the majors, but after a really bad spring, he was sent to the minors. On April 18th, he asked for and was granted his release.
Gagne would coach for the French team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. He was hired by the Rangers as a coach in 2018. He was released from his position in 2019. In 2007, Gagne was named in the Mitchell Report as a user of HGH. Human growth hormone. It was said he got the drug from steroids dealer, Kirk Radomski. At first Radomski said Gagne obtained them from Dodger teammate, Paul LoDuca. Radomski later said, he mailed two shipments of the drug straight to Gagne. Receipts from Fed-Ex and USPS showed that Radomski received one payment from Gagne and two from LoDuca.
Gagne then declined to meet with Mitchell to discuss the charges before the report was released. In a 2009 interview with the Times, he expressed remorse, not only for what he had done, but also for the fact he could not talk openly about it. The Times felt the reason was he did not want to implicate others. Later he would admit to the use of the drug and said he had used it to recover from a knee injury. Gagne also said he always gave 100% effort while he was with the Dodgers.
He and his exe-wife, Valerie, have four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. On July 31, 2020, Gagne was involved in multiple hit and run accidents in Terrebonne, Quebec. Police reportedly apprehended him after he fled the scene. For those of us who saw him come out of the pen those three magical seasons, it is easy to remember the excitement in the Stadium.
The sound system blaring, Gagne running in from the pen, firing his eight warm-ups, and then shutting the opposition down. It was something to see, and it was definitely, game over!
Will Smith is the 28th Dodger player to hit three home runs in a game (regular season and playoffs) and the 14th at Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/7ZL7OBoxq9
— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) July 6, 2024
Miguel Vargas' stats this season:
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) July 6, 2024
13-for-40
.325 AVG
.391 OBP
.575 SLG
.966 OPS
2 HR
8 RBI
4 2B
5 BB
6 K
The Dodgers need to find a way to get his bat into the lineup.
He was taking ground balls at third base today. He deserves more outfield run with Jason Heyward on the IL. pic.twitter.com/tiPZdF3ejX
FREDDIE FREDDIE FREDDIE and Teoscar too!!!! pic.twitter.com/yS2YINxO8c
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) July 6, 2024
James Outman during his Triple-A stint:
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) July 5, 2024
38 G
.279 AVG
.393 OBP
.531 SLG
.924 OPS
13.4 BB%
26.3 K%
126 wRC+
9 HR
21 RBI
7 SB
He was very productive in OKC and will now look to regain his success with the #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/ktg8Jut9pS
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 11 – OKC Baseball Club 7
OKC’s Class A Starter, Christian Romero, gave up a pair of 2-run HRs for 4 runs total in 3.0 IP. He allowed 6 hits, with a BB, and 2 Ks. He left after 3.0 trailing 7-4.
OKC scored three in the 2nd inning on a Chris Owings 2-run HR and a Trey Lipcius solo shot.
And two batters after Owings, it's Andre Lipcius' turn to go deep! pic.twitter.com/GZu2kYdnXF
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) July 6, 2024
In the 3rd, OKC drew closer when Trey Sweeney tripled and scored on Diego Cartaya’s sac fly.
In the 6th, Sweeney walked and scored on Cartaya’s double, who in turn scored on Alan Trejo’s double.
In the 7th, with 2 out Diego Cartaya was HBP and scored on Alan Trejo’s second double to tie the score at 7-7.
Matt Gage and John Rooney combined to give up a single, double, triple and 2 walks for 4 runs in the 8th to give Las Vegas the win.
- Trey Lipcius – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (19)
- Alan Trejo – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (4)
- Diego Cartaya – 1-3, 1 HBP, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (2), SF
- Chris Owings – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (8)
- Trey Sweeney – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, triple (3)
Tulsa Drillers 7 – Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 0
Orlando Ortiz-Mayr pitched his career game. He completed 7.0 shutout innings allowing 3 hits with 1 BB. He registered 7 Ks on the night. Juan Morillo and Edgardo Henriquez each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the combined shutout.
Tulsa scored their 1st run in the 4th. Taylor Young drew a BB and Dalton Rushing singled. A passed ball moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Wichita’s pitcher struck out the next three, but on the third it was a wild pitch allowing the batter to reach and Young to score.
In the 5th, Yeiner Fernandez led off with a HR. Alex Freeland followed with a double. Young drew a 2nd BB. A ground out moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Damon Keith was IBB while José Ramos was unintentionally walked to force in a run. Griffin Lockwood-Powell singled and scored 2, with the third run scoring and GLP moving to 2nd on a fielding error on the play and a 6-0 lead.
In the 7th, Freeland opened with a single, stole 2nd, and scored on Damon Keith’s single.
Every Tulsa batter had at least 1 hit in this one.
- Alex Freeland – 2-5, 2 runs, double (13), SB (13)
- Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 RBI
- Yeiner Fernandez – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (1)
Great Lakes Loons vs West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) – Game Postponed
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10 – Visalia Rawhide (Arizona) 0
5 Rancho pitchers combined for a 1 hit shutout. And leave it to Joe Kelly to give up the sole Visalia hit. Luke Fox continues to build on his progress from TJ surgery with the first 4.0 innings. He did allow 3 walks, but registered 2 Ks.
The first batter Kelly faced singled. That was followed by a BB. Kelly struck out the next batter and that was followed with a 4-6-3 DP.
In Moises Brito’s RC debut, he got through 2.0 innings, allowing 1 free pass with 2 Ks.
Reynaldo Yean and Noah Ruen each pitched a scoreless/hitless innings.
RC scored 10 runs on 14 hits. Sean McLain led the attack with 4 hits.
- Sean McLain – 4-4, 3 runs
- Carlos Rojas – 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (6)
- Wilman Diaz – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (12)
- Juan Alonso – 1-4, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (5)
- Doubles – Cameron Decker (5), Jeral Perez (15)
ACL Dodgers 2 – ACL Guardians 1
Three 20 year RHP combined for a 7 inning no hitter.
- Hyun-Seok Jang – 2.2 IP – 2 BB, 5 K
- Ricardo Montero – 0.2 IP – 4 BB, 2 K
- Nicolas Cruz – 3.2 IP – no BB, 3 K – Did not allow a baserunner
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Will Smith passed Contreras in homers and RBIs. He definitely made a case for the All-Star team with Realmuto most likely not able to play in the game. Nice game for Vargas too. The pen redeemed themselves. Phillips with three Ks in the 9th. Glasnow made one really bad pitch and it cost him four runs. On another note, the home plate umpire tonight was awful. I thought he was the reincarnation of Angel Hernandez. His strike zone was wider than my fanny!!!!!!
Smith definitely should be an all-star. Teo and Mookie are also deserving, though of course somebody would sub for Mookie.
While Smith had an epic night, perhaps Vargas had the more important game in terms of the roster and the trade deadline. He came up big when he needed it most. Given a rare start against a righty, he homered, singled and took a walk. He also made a nice running catch on a foul ball near the wall.
I still think Vargas is likely to be traded, but Outman and Pages are vulnerable too, depending on the deal. (Interesting that Vargas was taking grounders at 3B.)
Glad to see Outman back. He earned it.
Good game. Freddie showing what situational hitting is all about. Great at-bat, just going with the pitch and knocking it up the middle into center field. The rest of the hitters should take note. That’s how it’s done. Vargas has played very well since being called up and should get more playing time. Why not start him at second and get Lux’s noodle bat out of the lineup for good?
Speaking of Lux, another 0hfer and he’s now hitting below .215 for the year. He’s still atrocious. But let me guess, he’s an all-star right and the future of the Dodgers? I’m sure there’s still people claiming he’s headed for the hall. Maybe he’ll finish the year above the mendoza line?
What a game for Smith. Three bombs. He’s Friedman’s finest draft pick and a great hitter.
Glasnow looks gassed. The Dodgers may have a problem if he’s running on empty. They need him for the playoffs and have to get him through the season without injury. They may have to give him a couple weeks off but if he can’t pitch more than 120 innings in a season then they’re going to have a big problem here.
I predicted a loss and they win again. What can I say? My track record stays unbeaten.
I remember Gagne as a mediocre starting pitcher and then someone switched him to being a reliever and he was dominant. It fascinates me how that can happen. He had several pitches and as a closer he could command them all. For some reason that didn’t help as a starter, probably his mental approach.
The Lux show is getting old. How long is his leash?
Maybe while the Brewers are in town a couple of players could change uniforms such as BriceTurang and Vargas and Lux.
Have not seen this posted, if it has please delete:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/dodgers-news-former-la-rookie-of-the-year-sentenced-to-prison-for-six-years/ar-BB1puCXi?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=b7f7173bf07a4e6f9d7628fc1bf9ba8e&ei=1
While not infallible, the guys at Baseball Prospectus cast doubt on two things Crochet related:
1> that he would be a starter for the majority of the 2nd half (this is also echoed at TheAthletic). Rather they project he would go to the pen and then get stretched out towards the end of the season.
2> that Baltimore, for this reason, would be interested in Crochet. They throw out Fede, Lorenzen or Eovaldi if Texas doesn’t come up.
These were my thoughts from 2 days ago “My main observation is – is this a Dodger team constructed to win in the Playoffs? Let me give you 6 reasons why NOT.
Lux .217, Barnes .208, Kike .206, Heyward .205, Biggio .188 and CT3 .162. We hold out hope that the savior will arrive soon – Max Muncy @ .223.”
With 1 of the non-fab six out for a while, this should be a golden opportunity for Vargas to get a much needed, and last, change to prove himself or set his trade value. I’m thinking he will hit this time if given the opportunity.
I’m good with Teo, Outman/Pages and Vargas.
Vargas has certainly worked his way into the outhouse. As soon as possible there’s a defensive replacement so there’s little confidence there. Now he will sit for Outman.
Why not give Hoese a look? I see his splits in AAA are .282/.800 v RHP and .365/.912 v LHP. Please spare me a lecture on the difference between AAA and MLB pitching.
Jeff what’s the book on Hoese?
I’ve reached the point of no return for Biggio, Kike and CT3 as anything but gone.
Kike – .189/.521 v RHP, .219/.635.
CT3 – .147/.469 v RHP, .170/.549 v LHP.
Vargas .240/.750 V RHP & .471/1291 v LHP in a limited sample. Vargas should play every day.
Biggio should have been gone day before yesterday.
The “IF” conversation was a good one, yesterday with Badger, Pluto and Bear. Too many “IF’s” at this point in the season. We have to see how many IL pitchers will return and be worth a shit.
Get another starting pitcher and find a 3rd baseman either internally by giving guys a look or pay the price at the deadline.
But this stretch with the same unproductive players appearing everyday, while we all prey for a miracle has gotten old to me.
Nice question by norcaldodgerfan on Brasier’s 2 and a 1/2 month calf strain.
Wrobleski tomorrow. That should be interesting.
I’m sure the White Sox will have a scout or two in attendance as will a number of other teams.
0 for 7 WRISP.
And they win.
That is this year’s Dodgers.
This may be why Vargas is now taking grounders at 3B, per Ardaya:
Max Muncy is no longer swinging a bat, Dave Roberts said today. Oblique issue hasn’t progressed. Anything rotational still gives him some discomfort.
Speaking of relievers, there is still chatter among baseball scribes that the Dodgers may bring back Kenley.
Oh, ye purveyors of gloom and doom. The team you see on the field today is not the team that will be playing come October. There will be changes, maybe not the ones you want, but changes none the less. Bullpen will be different; lineup will be different. Muncy might not make it back, but Betts will, and he alone changes a lot. One less weak bat in the lineup. Padres lost tonight in 10 innings. The D-Backs scored 3 in the top of the inning. The Padres had 2 on and none out, and Solano doubled. That scored one and put runners on second and third with no outs and Merrill coming up. He walked to load the bases. The D-Backs brought in Castellanos to relieve. The guy had a plus 10 ERA. He struck out Johnson, then Kim, and got Higoshioka to fly out. Dago now 7.5 back. The Giants lost to Cleveland, so the Dodgers pick up a game on their closest pursuers.