Arizona proves Gagne is mortal

LOS ANGELES — For almost two years, it was “Game Over” every time Eric Gagne trotted in from the bullpen with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead.

And when he struck out Scott Hairston to start the ninth inning Monday night, it seemed as if save No. 85 in a row was just a few pitches away.

But three batters later, his incredible streak was over. The Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for two runs to tie it, before the Dodgers scored in the 10th to win 6-5.

“Everybody says you have to be real lucky. I was real lucky for a long time. It just came to an end,” Gagne said. “I made some great pitches. They beat me.”

The burly Canadian right-hander with the straggly goatee was successful 84 consecutive times — 30 more than previous record-holder Tom Gordon.

“The fans are so proud of what I’ve been doing,” Gagne said. “They come out every single game and they’re really into it, so I just tried to give back to them because they’ve been really good to me.”

“No one is going to ever even come close again,” Atlanta closer John Smoltz said. “I think it’s the best pitching record out there.”