Gagné excited to start for Champions
At one time the best relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, Eric Gagné has signed with the Ottawa Champions.
The Mascouche, Que., native will start the final game of the Can-Am League season on Sept. 5 against the visiting Quebec Capitales. The 40-year-old Gagné was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1995 and made his debut with the team in 1999.
He went on to become one of the most dominant closers in baseball, appearing in three allstar games, winning the 2003 NL Cy Young Award and at one point converting 63 consecutive save opportunities.
“I have been getting ready to pitch for three months and I’m really excited,” says Gagné. “I hope that it helps promote baseball and the Can-Am League in a city where they have a new team and have had a great season. It’s a great way to show appreciation to the fans that came out in Ottawa all summer.”
Gagné finished his 10-year major-league career with a 33-26 record, 3.47 earned-run average and 187 saves.
His career did include some controversy as he admitted using Human Growth Hormone in an interview in 2010.
He played for the Capitales during the 2009 season before attempting a failed comeback with the Dodgers during training camp in 2010.
He made a one-game appearance for the Can-Am League’s Trois-Rivières Aigles in 2015, pitching 4 1/3 innings in a 5-3 victory against Quebec.
The Champions (46-40) are fourth in the 2016 Can-Am League standings, five games behind the first-place New Jersey Jackals.