Sometimes I get to thinking about this wonderful game of baseball that I obsess about and I wonder if I’ll ever grow up. There’s something about that amazing game that ensures that the “little boy” in me returns. To my utter amusement and slight embarrassment, I find myself getting giddy over a simple thing like making small talk with a minor league player younger than my youngest son, or catching sight of a former major league star, heaven forbid having a lengthy conversation with one.

But that was my week this week. With a work assignment in the capital City of Panama, it hadn’t dawned on me that a 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifying round would be taking place in the very city where I was assigned. And as my luck had it, all four participating teams (Panama, Colombia, France and Spain), were staying in the same hotel as I was. In fact, I was the only person NOT affiliated with MLB on the floor of my hotel.

With a busy work week to complete, I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at my hotel Tuesday afternoon to see MLB Network officials prepping the lobby for a press conference, elevators full of kids with luggage bags from such teams as the Marlins, Angels, Nationals, Phillies and Mets. Excitement was in the air. The Trump Ocean Club Resort was bustling with activity … baseball activity.

A MLB Network guy was lost on the elevator, asking how to get to the ground floor so he could find the casino. A Colombian minor leaguer was in the lobby excitedly greeting what was undoubtedly his family, who had traveled the short distance from Panama to be with their son.

Then there was the player I chatted with who had Spain credentials hanging around his heck. He said he was a career minor leaguer, with his playing days spanning from 2001-2007 in the Orioles organization. He spoke no Spanish, but told me he qualified for the Spanish club managed by Manny Crespo because his wife is a Spanish citizen, (seemed like a “reach” to me, but if the WBC Rules allow it, who am I to protest?). He said he was simply thrilled to be playing the game again.

Now as a Dodger fan, I take particular interest in spotting anyone from the organization, so I was quite thrilled to read that the France team was being managed by former Dodger Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne.

Team France manager Eric Gagne
(Photo credit – Glenn Gervot)

Gagne had always been a favorite of mine dating back to the late 90s when he struggled to make the club as a starting pitcher. I loved his makeup as a player. Gagne was tough. He was confident. He didn’t back down from anything. Because of that tough exterior and blue collar ethic, I actually thought he might make it as a starter.

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It was at a chilly April game in San Francisco in 2001, where I watched Gagne pitch eight solid innings against a tough Giants team to get the win., 10-1. There he was in the elements.
The bone chilling wind meant nothing to him obviously, having learned the game on icy Quebecian spring mornings. The orange and black crowd that yelled every insult under the evening fog at the chunky and confident Canuck could not frustrate the kid. He had a sheepish grin on his face as he swaggered off the mound. He seemed to enjoy the element – 122 pitches, seven strikeouts, six hits allowed, and one earned run off of him.

You could tell he liked the competition and the wild fans that hated his guts and yelled profane insults his way. Having seen a lot of Dodger games at Candlestick and now the newly anointed ballpark in a China Basin, I knew that there had been many a Dodger that failed in those conditions. This guy reveled in it.

As he eventually found his calling as a closer, Gagne became that cocky stopper that knew that if he was handed the ball, the game was over. And “Game Over” became his mantra, “Welcome to the Jungle” his anthem and striking out the side in the ninth his norm. Eric Gagne was about as dependable as the sun rising in the east, the autumn leaves eventually turning brown and his manager Jim Tracy consistently starting a Sunday lineup made up of 7 reserves.

Gagne made relief pitching history, completing 84 consecutive saves in dominating fashion – 38 of them with 1-2-3 innings, 19 of them striking out the side, 36 in which he struck out two batters, 14 of the saves were more than one innings. He set a little known record of consecutive batters struck out (with 10). Nobody even noticed it because he did it over a four game spread, something that certainly isn’t easy to do because we are talking about closing games here. Opposing hitters doing all they can to keep their teams alive and not lose in the closing moments. (More on this unnoticed Gagne record later).

Gagne didn’t think twice about dusting guys off the plate. His 100-mph heat intimidated many a hitter, including Giant Michael Tucker, who started a bench clearing brawl in a Sunday affair against Gagne after Eric threw one up and a bit inside. Gagne was ejected after not backing down and telling him to come take his business to the mound if he couldn’t handle a little kitchen heat.

Gagne calls out Giants outfielder Michael Tucker after Tucker complained about some high heat.
(Photo credit – Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The league knew Gagne was un-hittable. Hitters need to shorten up their swings and hope to not be fooled by the 100-mph gas or the Bugs Bunny change up.

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So anyway, back to Panama…

I was on the lookout for Gagne. No, I wasn’t stalking the man. I honestly was just keeping aware of my surroundings. I simply wanted to shake his hand and thank him for those four magical years in which he dominated the league like no other closer ever had.

But it looked like it wasn’t in the cards for me. Work didn’t coincide with the schedule of the teams. France lost their first game on Thursday and it looked like an early exit for them. On Friday, Gagne’s French squad gutted out a gritty 5-3 afternoon win over Spain, eliminating them from the competition. That evening, I saw the forlorn Spanish team return to the hotel, but no sign of Gagne and his French players.

After losing their first game of the Qualifying Round to Panama 9-2, Team France defeated Team Spain in their second game 5-3. Unfortunately, they lost to Panama again 7-4 in the elimination round, thus ending their WBC tournament.
(Photo credit – Glenn Gervot)

It wasn’t until later that evening that I noticed the hotel bar was rather boisterous. As it turned out, it was the French team watching the Panama-Colombia game on the flat screen. And there he was, Eric yucking it up with his players. After a lull in the action and when Gagne had finished his meal and was relaxing off the side, my opportunity arrived. So, I had a decision to make. Leave the man alone in his thoughts or go make some small talk. I chose the latter.

I didn’t realize it at the time but my parter captured the moment on his cell phone camera.
(Photo courtesy of Evan Bladh)

He couldn’t have been more friendly. It was short, to the point – maybe 90 seconds. I was able to thank him for his Dodger contributions, wish him luck and leave the man alone. No autograph, no selfie. Just a simple thank you, a handshake and leaving the man in peace to enjoy his moment with his players. Isn’t that the way it should be? Game Over.

So why didn’t Gagne get any recognition for his major league record 10 consecutive strikeouts? Probably because of a number of factors:

1. West coast bias. Every Gagne game was a late night West Coast game, unnoticed by the East Coasters.
2. Gagne was so dominating back then. Striking out the side was just another day at the office for him. We all took it for granted.
3. Unlike Seaver, Gagne wasn’t starting and he didn’t complete the feat in a historic record setting game, closing out his performance by striking out the final ten batters of the game to set what was then the most k’s ever recorded in a single game. What few writers admit is that Seaver accomplished his feat against an expansion team that was coming off a 105-loss season.

Let’s compare:

• Gagne completed the feat over four games at Dodger Stadium – first against the Marlins by striking out Juan Encarnación and Mike Lowell, to close out the eventual World Champion Florida Marlins on May 17, 2003.
• The following evening, also against the Marlins, Gagne k’d Alex Gonzalez, Mike Redmond and Brian Banks.
• Two days later, on May 20th, he completed a save at home against Colorado, striking out Larry Walker swinging, followed by Jose Hernandez and Charles Johnson looking.
• On May 21st, Gagne recorded the save by first striking out Mike Sweeney and Larry Walker (again). The streak was then broken by single by Greg Norton. Then Gagne struck out Chris Stynes.

That’s 11 straight outs recorded by strikeouts. He still wasn’t done.

• The next night, Gagne fanned Gabe Kapler and Brent Butler, making it 13 consecutive outs recorded by strikeout. Finally, Todd Helton broke the streak grounding out to end the game.

Now let’s look at Seaver. In his historic (then) record 19-strikeout game, he retired the final 10 batters by strikeout. But look at the lineup, not exactly Murderers Row: Al Ferrara, Nate Colbert, Dave Campbell, Jerry Morales, Bob Barton, Ramon Webster, Ivan Murrell, Van Kelly, Cito Gaston and Ferrara again. In his next game, coincidentally against the Dodgers, Maury Wills broke up the strikeouts streak by grounding out.

Both feats were amazing, but I’m a bit more impressed with Gagne’s consecutive strikeouts that were recorded over four game-ending saves, and against tougher hitters like Walker (twice), and Lowell on a World Championship team instead of the cellar-dwelling 99-loss hapless Padres.