Twenty years after having passed his 84e consecutive saves, a record that still stands in major league baseball, Éric Gagné still draws crowds.
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Whether in Los Angeles, when the Dodgers celebrated him two weeks ago, in Repentigny, when the Royal, his former team in the Quebec Elite Junior Baseball League, unveiled a banner in his honour on Thursday, or Friday night, when he found himself on the mound for the Montreal Jets, Gagné has not lost his popularity.
Before donning the uniform of the Quebec Major League Baseball team at Raymond-Daviault Stadium in Parc Clémentine-De La Rousselière, Gagné took part in an autograph session. Friendly and generous, the 48-year-old who is still in good shape took the time to put his mark on caps, jerseys, photos, bats, balls and books, including his biography entitled Game Over.
“I’m glad I came, he was nice,” said Liam Bullett, 14, a big Dodgers fan. “He was a good closer that we called Game Over.»
The young player from the Red Sox des Laurentides U13 AA was eager to see Gagné pitch, but he did not really want a Jets victory against the Castors d’Acton Vale.
“My personal coach is Youri Babin, who plays for the Castors,” he explained. “I don’t care who wins, as long as it’s a good game!”
Photo Mylène Richard
Extra time
The 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner was scheduled to meet with baseball fans for 30 minutes. He ended up signing and taking pictures with more than a hundred people for 35 minutes.
But Gagné had to go warm up before facing Acton Vale, leader of the Louisville Slugger section with a record of 15-6, ahead of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (14-7) and Montreal (11-10), before Friday’s games.
Photo Mylène Richard
Young and old
The children and teenagers present had never seen the 2007 World Series champion in action with the Boston Red Sox, but their parents had told them about his exploits.
“I watched a report on Netflix and I know that he was a really unbeatable pitcher,” summarized Catherine Martel, 14.
The player who will be participating in the Canadian Fastpitch Championship with the Royal this weekend in Repentigny asked Gagné to sign the sleeve of her team jersey.
Catherine Martel asked Éric Gagné to sign the sleeve of her sweater. Photo Mylène Richard
A busy career
The reliever saved 55 games in 2003, part of a historic streak of 84 games that spanned 2002-04. A three-time MLB All-Star, Gagné finished his 10-year major league career with a record of 33 wins and 26 losses, a 3.47 ERA, 718 strikeouts and 187 saves.
Gagné is also one of only three Quebecers to have played at least 10 campaigns in the MLB, along with Claude Raymond and Russell Martin.
Besides the Dodgers and the Red Sox, he also played for the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Photo Mylène Richard
2024-07-19 23:55:37
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