TORONTO, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Eric Gagne, who emerged in 2002 with the greatest single season for a closer in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers and had never been a closer, has been named co-winner of the Tip O'Neill Award as Canadian baseball players of the year.
Gagne shared the award, which was announced by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, with Colorado outfielder Larry Walker.
Gagne, a native of Montreal, said he was honored to have his name associated with Walker, who he struck out on April 6 in Dodger Stadium in their only confrontation in 2002.
"I got him on a fastball up and in," Gagne recalled from his home in Montreal. "Larry is so big and strong, and he is a threat every time he comes to the plate. The guy can rake. I just try to help my team win ball games and I love to have fun. As a Canadian, this is very dear to me. I don't play for the individual awards, but it is very special when ones like this come my way. I hope I can get this same phone call for many years to come."
The Tip O'Neill Award is presented annually to Canada's best baseball player "judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution, while adhering to the highest ideals of the game of baseball."
Walker, who turned 36 on Sunday, has won or shared the it nine times, and is the only repeat winner. This year, he hit .338, second in the National League, with 26 homers and 104 RBI, and won a seventh Gold Glove.
In his career, he has hit 236 home runs, won the NL MVP in 1997, and has won the Gold Glove five time with Colorado.
"The best thing to come out of this would be if Eric and I can inspire more youngsters in Canada, from coast to coast, to sign up and play baseball next summer," Walker said.
Gagne, who grew up near Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and studied the successes of former major leagues John Wetteland, earned his share of the award with a remarkable breakthrough season.
He came to spring training just hoping to make the Major League team, mainly because, as a starter, he was so inconsistent in 2001 and had been demoted to the minors twice. He was not even included in the handful of names Manager Jim Tracy listed as candidates for his bullpen-by-committee.
Gagne had closed for the Canadian National Team prior to signing with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 1995 out of Polyvalente Edovard Montpetit High School in Montreal.
He spent spring training pitching his way into contention for the closer job. His combination of pinpoint control and nasty stuff quickly convinced management he could at least replace Matt Herges as a setup man, leading to Herges' trade to Montreal.
In his first outing as a closer, on April 7, he escaped a one-out, two-on jam in San Francisco by retiring Jeff Kent and Reggie Sanders. The rest is history.
By the end of the year, Gagne had shattered Todd Worrell's franchise save record of 44 with 52, which was second in baseball behind John Smoltz of Atlanta, and fifth all-time. That blew away John Hiller's 29-year-old Canadian save record of 38, set with the 1973 Detroit Tigers, as well as Claude Raymond's French-Canadian record of 23, set with the 1970 Expos.
Gagne was 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA, striking out 114 in 82 innings. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting, and second in the Rolaids Relief Man competition. He pitched in the All-Star Game and saved three games in the recently-completed Major League All-Star exhibition tour of Japan.
The award is named after James Edward (Tip) O'Neill, a native of Woodstock, who played in the majors from 1883-92 for New York, St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati.
