When Dodgers legend Eric Gagne felt 'ashamed' about using PEDs to become MLB's most dominant closer

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Gagne admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2010. Gagne expressed regret about using steroids and disclosed that he did that to enhance his performance during his illustrious MLB career.

Revealing that he used HGH, Gagne told the LA Times:

“I hate to talk about it. It just doesn’t do anyone any good. But I thought it would help me get better when I hurt my knee. I just don’t want that to sound as an excuse.

“I’m so ashamed. It wasn’t smart. If I knew what I know now. . . . I didn’t need it. I regret it so much, just now maybe getting over the guilt. It was stupid."

Gagné started his career as a starting pitcher after signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995.

Eric Gagne said 80 percent of his Dodgers teammates used PEDs

In his autobiography, "Game Over: The Story of Eric Gagne," the former Cy Young Award winner acknowledged the use of human growth hormones. He also estimated that 80% of his Dodgers teammates also took performance-enhancing drugs. Gagne avoided naming individuals, but this instead tarnished the reputations of all his former teammates.

Here's what he wrote:

"I was intimately aware of the clubhouse in which I lived. I would say that 80 percent of the Dodgers players were consuming them."

Gagne achieved a 1.20 ERA, converted all 55 of his save chances, and earned the Cy Young award in 2003. Before the 2006 season, he signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers after undergoing elbow surgery in 2005. Gagne joined the Dodgers in 2010 on a minor league contract but was cut loose during spring training.

Due to an injury, Gagné played only occasionally in 2005 and 2006; he had back surgery in 2006 and elbow surgery in 2005. After being released by the Dodgers in 2006, Gagné began the 2007 campaign with the Texas Rangers, where he briefly had success as a closer once more.

Gagne struggled during spells with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, and after the 2008 season, he was eventually discharged.

Milwaukee Brewers Photo Day

Eric Gagne was implicated in baseball's drug scandal in December 2007 after his name appeared in the Mitchell Report. This came just days after agreeing to a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2008 campaign.