For three years, from 2002-04, Dodgers reliever Eric Gagne was the best closer in baseball — and maybe the best closer in baseball history. He recorded an MLB-record 84 consecutive saves across those three seasons and won the 2003 National League Cy Young Award.
He would only pitch 15.1 more innings for Los Angeles after that dominant stretch, though. A series of injuries caused him to miss most of the 2006 and 2006 seasons, and L.A. didn’t bring him back.
Gagne enjoyed limited success in his post-Dodgers career, recording 26 saves for the Rangers and Brewers in 2007-08.