SEATTLE (AP) - Eric Gagne walked onto a major league mound for the first time in more than 10 months and was greeted by a cheesy scoreboard clip trying to inspire a Mariners rally against him.
It didn't work.
Gagne pitched a scoreless ninth inning, including a strikeout of Ichiro Suzuki, for his second save in 22 months to help the Texas Rangers beat Seattle 5-2 on Friday night.
In the scoreboard clip, Kurt Russell was portraying former Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in the movie "Miracle." But in his head, Gagne was replaying the hard rock anthem that used to greet him in the ninth inning when he was the closer coming out of the Dodger Stadium bullpen: Guns 'N Roses "Welcome to the Jungle."
"I was trying to stop shaking. I was nervous out there," Gagne said of his first save since last June 6, before back surgery ended his season in July. "It's been two frustrating years. Now, I'm back on track."
The bushy haired, bushing bearded Gagne then knocked his hand on the wood shelf of his locker.
"You never know when it's going to end," he said.
He thought it might be over last summer when doctors took out 85 percent of his L-4 and L-5 vertebrae in his lower back. Then came three months without being able to jog, more waiting for a pitching elbow to heal from surgery last April and two weeks of extended spring training with Double-A Frisco that ended when he came off the disabled list Friday morning.
The Rangers took a $6 million, one-year flyer on him - with as much as $5 million more possible based on how many games the three-time All-Star finishes. All that is why Friday's ninth inning was as glorious for Gagne as any of the 152 games he saved for the Dodgers from 2002-04.
"Finally, we got a chance to see him close a ball game," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "That's what we brought him here to do, get three outs."
Gagne said he was overanxious while falling behind the first batter he faced, pinch-hitter Ben Broussard. He fell behind 2-0 before Broussard blooped a single off him.
Gagne then threw four consecutive fastballs that hit 93 mph to Suzuki. Last year's major league hits leader swung over the fourth one for his eighth strikeout in 22 at-bats, extending his hitless streak to 12 at bats.
Former Dodgers teammate Adrian Beltre, who swore if he ever faced Gagne in a game, he wanted to see a curveball, was next. Beltre told Gagne he knows when the closer was about to throw a curve because he could see his fingers spread before the pitch from his position at third base.
Beltre never saw the first-pitch bender coming and froze as the strike went by. The two former Dodgers then laughed at each other. Gagne even had to step off the mound momentarily to get serious again.
"No, I was expecting that," Beltre said, still smiling about his former pal.
Two fastballs later, Beltre grounded into a double play. Game over, just as the Dodger Stadium scoreboard used to proclaim.
"I wanted to (mess) him up ... but I'm happy for him," Beltre said. "It would be kind of sad to see that much talent and an arm like that lost to injury."
Gagne punctuated his save with three, short, understated fist pumps. He received hugs from his new teammates, and threw the ball his teammates gave him into the stands.
"I've done that 84 times in a row," Gagne said, referring to his major league record for save conversions that ended in 2004.
Before the game, Gagne was activiated from the 15-day disabled list. He noted his fastball was more in the 92 or 93-mph range instead of the upper 90s when he was the NL Cy Young Award winner in 2003.
"But I'll take that right now," he said. He said his changeup was "great" during his two-week rehabilitation stint at Double-A Frisco.
It took Gagne until October following the back surgery to jog without pain. Then he had to wait until his elbow was ready for an extensive throwing routine, which he finally eased into by February. He still has occasional elbow soreness.
Washington said he will not hesitate to use Gagne in consecutive games right away. But Gagne will strictly be a ninth-inning ace _ no four-to-six out save situations for him. Washington talked glowingly about Gagne pitching ninth innings, Akinori Otsuka pitching the eighth and Joaquin Benoit entering in the seventh, provided Rangers starters can last six innings.
"I like what I've got seven-eight-nine," Washington said.
Gagne said the three outings he had at Double-A _ which amounted to an extended spring training for him _ were valuable in teaching him how to pitch with less reliance on his fastball and more on finesse.
"It's a work in progress _ with my whole body," Gagne said. "I've still got a little work to do, but I'm getting close."