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Eric Gagne Retires

By Tim Dierkes | April 19, 2010 at 9:30am CDT

Eric Gagne has retired, reports Martin Leclerc of Rue Frontenac (English translation here).  Gagne explained that he feels great physically, but has lost the desire to pitch.  The 34-year-old was released by the Dodgers a month ago.

Gagne's run of dominant closing for the Dodgers resulted in a 1.79 ERA, 13.3 K/9, and 152 saves over 2002-04, spanning 247 innings.  Each of those years, he made the All-Star team and received Cy Young and MVP votes.  He won the Cy Young in '03, saving 55 games with a 1.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 82.3 innings.  Gagne earned about $40MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference.

The blemish: Gagne appeared in the Mitchell Report for using human growth hormone in 2004.  He later explained to T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times that he thought it'd help with a knee injury.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions Eric Gagne

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49 Comments

  1. jwredsox

    15 years ago

    FINALLY

    Reply
  2. BIGPELF

    15 years ago

    HOF first ballot

    Reply
    • gigantes2425

      15 years ago

      really? he had 2 or 3 good seasons and once he got off the roids his body really shut down.

      Reply
  3. hensleymuelens

    15 years ago

    HOF first ballot? Seriously? Based on 3 seasons?
    Not bloody likely.

    Reply
    • 0bsessions

      15 years ago

      I’m reasonably certain that was sarcasm based off the fact someone brings up a hall of fame debate every single time someone retires. I think Sean Casey had a HOF debate on here when he retired.

      Reply
      • hensleymuelens

        15 years ago

        Ah, Sarcasm. I get it.
        I get jokes…

        Reply
        • BIGPELF

          15 years ago

          hahah

          Reply
          • Grab some pine, meat.

            15 years ago

            yeah watch out for trollers, haha

            Reply
    • cedarandstone

      15 years ago

      The guy did post the most dominant closer season ever, juice or no juice.

      Just saying.

      Reply
      • alphabet_soup5

        15 years ago

        Mark McGwire had one of the most dominant seasons as a hitter in 1998, juice or no juice.

        Just saying.

        Reply
      • alphabet_soup5

        15 years ago

        Mark McGwire had one of the most dominant seasons as a hitter in 1998, juice or no juice.

        Just saying.

        Reply
  4. 55saveslives

    15 years ago

    LOL @ “Lost the Desire”…

    I think it was more of teams “Lost the Desire” to have him on the roster!

    Reply
    • jdub220

      15 years ago

      Yeah, I don’t think he lost the desire. I think he lost his HGH provider’s number.

      (Not that I want to turn this post into a big string of steroid jokes)

      Reply
      • TimotheusATL

        15 years ago

        Hey, it’s important to inject a little humor from time to time…

        Reply
  5. phoenix88

    15 years ago

    Gange should be in thr HOF, but he most likely wont come close until his last year of eligibility due to his HGH use and such

    Reply
    • Mark Swalm

      15 years ago

      lol

      Reply
    • peterherman

      15 years ago

      Gagne’s career long numbers are not those of a Hall of Fame pitcher, regardless of drug use or which inning he pitched. He and Nomar Garciaparra share that fate: talented players who peaked and fell off a cliff without sustaining the level of greatness needed for the Hall.

      Gagne had three legendary years and six deeply mediocre-to-awful years.

      Reply
    • Grab some pine, meat.

      15 years ago

      You should really utilize BR’s hall of fame predictor, its not perfect, and doesn’t factor in popularity blemishes (HGH, or a bad attitude in ganges case) but stat wise it provides a comparison on many levels to all HOF’ers and uses that info to project the chances one has of making it.

      Reply
    • flumesalot

      15 years ago

      As a Dodger fan and a Gagne fan I can tell you right now 3 years does not make a hall of fame career.

      Reply
  6. 04Forever

    15 years ago

    From Cy Young to Sayonara! Its about time.

    Reply
  7. Redhawk

    15 years ago

    Some retire…some have retirement thrust upon them.

    Not only was he connected to HGH, but he was one to have steroid rumors floating around him as well, though his name wasn’t on any report. I’ve maintained that steroids help pitchers as much as it did hitters, maybe more, as it kept them strong, and allowed a pitcher to throw harder, longer, and recover faster between outings.

    Reply
    • ELPinchy

      15 years ago

      I agree, I think it REALLY helped pitchers a LOT.

      Looks at Clemens after he left Boston,he should have been thrust on the scrap heap….he was done. Then *POOF* just like magic,he was back.

      Reply
      • jwsox

        15 years ago

        roids probably helped pitchers more than hitters at least with hitters there is a combination of strength+timing+bat speed+pitch recognition…to be a great hitter you still have to be able to put the bat in just the right place to hit the ball, and you have to hope you guess the right pitch in the right area…Yes roids and HGH help pitchers and hitter equally in terms of recovery but they helped pitchers get stronger IE allowing them to throw harder and for longer…pitchers were helped more if only slightly more than hitter were…but it equals out because for every pitcher that used roids there was one hitter and for every hitter who used riods there was a pitcher who did as well

        Reply
      • jwsox

        15 years ago

        roids probably helped pitchers more than hitters at least with hitters there is a combination of strength+timing+bat speed+pitch recognition…to be a great hitter you still have to be able to put the bat in just the right place to hit the ball, and you have to hope you guess the right pitch in the right area…Yes roids and HGH help pitchers and hitter equally in terms of recovery but they helped pitchers get stronger IE allowing them to throw harder and for longer…pitchers were helped more if only slightly more than hitter were…but it equals out because for every pitcher that used roids there was one hitter and for every hitter who used riods there was a pitcher who did as well

        Reply
  8. RichMahogany

    15 years ago

    Yeah, and I could have stolen Minka Kelly away from Derek Jeter, but I lost the desire.

    Reply
  9. sundancekid2

    15 years ago

    Blemish #2-He accepeted Milwaukee’s 10 Million Dollars.

    Reply
  10. cedarandstone

    15 years ago

    Game over.

    Reply
    • Tony

      15 years ago

      LMFAO!

      Reply
  11. dizzle4

    15 years ago

    I wonder if he ever used steroids?

    Reply
    • ELPinchy

      15 years ago

      LMAO

      Reply
  12. ivdown

    15 years ago

    If the reports are correct, he took them after his Cy Young year in 2003. I’d like to hope that is true, because it a magical season from him. I have honestly never seen anyone so hittable.

    Reply
    • 55saveslives

      15 years ago

      Yeah and Bonds didn’t start taking roids till AFTER his 73 year! 😛

      Reply
      • ivdown

        15 years ago

        Hey, after all these years of Giants fan’s delusions I thought I’d give it a shot 😉

        Reply
        • 55saveslives

          15 years ago

          I tried on a size 8 ball cap once to see the difference….Holy C!@#! that is a melon head!!

          Reply
          • ivdown

            15 years ago

            Hey, I’m 7 3/4 🙁

            Lol.

            Then again, it’s a bit big on me. If I want to fit into it I’ll see if Bonds can tell me his ‘workout techniques’ 😛

            Reply
          • ivdown

            15 years ago

            Hey, I’m 7 3/4 🙁

            Lol.

            Then again, it’s a bit big on me. If I want to fit into it I’ll see if Bonds can tell me his ‘workout techniques’ 😛

            Reply
          • TimotheusATL

            15 years ago

            I’m a legit 7 7/8″. No HGH. 🙁

            Reply
          • TimotheusATL

            15 years ago

            I’m a legit 7 7/8″. No HGH. 🙁

            Reply
  13. Jason_F

    15 years ago

    Steroids or not, this was one of best at-bats I’ve ever seen.

    wretch.cc/video/son112222&func=single&vi…

    Reply
    • 55saveslives

      15 years ago

      101 mph fastball PULLED foul!!

      Reply
  14. Steve_in_MA

    15 years ago

    An announcement that is years overdue. It was just pathetic to watch him when he clearly had no chance of competing successfully at an ML level. He should take solace in knowing that he was the best there was in that 3-year period of ’02-’05. A Cy as a closer is almost unheard of. It is a shame that physical skills often depart very quickly, but it must be accepted. Denying it creates only more pain.

    Reply
  15. markjsunz

    15 years ago

    Another product of the steroid ERA.

    Reply
  16. Mario Saavedra

    15 years ago

    6 years ago, If I had told people that Gagne would retire first than Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, they would have called me nuts.

    Reply
  17. Mario Saavedra

    15 years ago

    6 years ago, If I had told people that Gagne would retire first than Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, they would have called me nuts.

    Reply
  18. Jman1213

    15 years ago

    In the words of an old friend of mine, “It’s not retiring if no one wants to hire you.”

    Reply
  19. Jman1213

    15 years ago

    In the words of an old friend of mine, “It’s not retiring if no one wants to hire you.”

    Reply
  20. ellisburks

    15 years ago

    He might make the Hall of fame. There is still hope…of course it will be the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, but it is a Hall of Fame!

    Reply
  21. geolink2349

    15 years ago

    If they make a comedy movie of the 2007 Red Sox’s, Seth Rogen should play Eric Gagne.

    Reply
  22. sally

    13 years ago

    ..well, steroids or not, he sure gave us Dodger fans some of the most exciting and memorable moments in Dodger baseball ever…being at a game that was close, in the ninth, and anticipating Gagne….then hearing his theme song being played “Welcome to the jungle!!!” as he made his way to the mound….crowd cheering cuz we KNEW the game was ours!  best thrill ever…THANK YOU GAGNE for these awesome memories!  🙂

    Reply

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