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This 41-year-old, ex-Cy Young winner is ready to make a comeback

Eric Gagne hasn’t pitched in the majors the past eight seasons. (Getty Images/Jed Jacobsohn)
Eric Gagne hasn’t pitched in the majors the past eight seasons. (Getty Images/Jed Jacobsohn)

New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra once summed up baseball by saying, “it ain’t over, ’til it’s over,” but we’re not sure this is what he meant. Despite not pitching in the majors since 2008, 41-year-old, former Cy Young winner Eric Gagne believes it’s time for a comeback.

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Gagne, who has been working with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitching instructor this spring, has his eyes set on a return to the mound. He’s been throwing bullpen sessions in his downtime to stay sharp, and has already thrown for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.

While neither of those teams jumped at the chance to pick him up, Gagne will have a chance to show off his stuff to a much larger audience pretty soon. Though he’s been away from the game for eight seasons, Gagne is going to pitch for Team Canada in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. That should give every major-league team an opportunity to see whether Gagne still has what it takes to compete against professionals.

From 2002 to 2004, no one was better than Gagne in the ninth inning. Over that period, posted a 1.79 ERA over 247 innings. He struck out an incredible 365 batters. By fWAR, Gagne (11.7) towered over Mariano Rivera (6.3). He made the All-Star game and finished in the top-10 of the Cy Young voting each season. Gagne won the Cy Young in 2003 after not blowing a single save opportunity that season. He saved 55 games while posting an excellent 1.20 ERA over 82 1/3 innings.

Like many relievers, Gagne’s time in the limelight quickly fizzled. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2005 and hardly pitched in 2006 due to arm troubles related to the surgery. He was able to return to the mound in 2007, but wasn’t as dominant. Over 52 innings, he posted a 3.81 ERA. He fell apart after being traded to the Boston Red Sox in the second half, posting a 6.75 ERA over 18 2/3 innings with the club.

That second half skid was the beginning of the end for Gagne. He was awful with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, putting up a 5.44 ERA over 46 1/3 innings. That was his final season in the majors. He was out of baseball at age-32.

Gagne was 32 the last time he pitched in the majors. (Getty Images/Joe Robbins)
Gagne was 32 the last time he pitched in the majors. (Getty Images/Joe Robbins)

Gagne can rewrite that last sentence, though the odds are stacked against him. If Gagne can perform well in the WBC, it’s possible a team will give him a shot to continue his comeback. Even then, he would likely have to impress in camp and in the minors before getting an opportunity to return to the majors.

At the same time, Berra’s quote exists for a reason. Inexplicable comebacks happen in baseball all the time. Considering Gagne has plenty of experience pitching in the ninth inning, he knows that better than most.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik