Goose Gossage

Did You Know?

• Gossage's nickname "Goose" came from a friend who thought he looked like a goose when extending his neck to see the catcher's signs.
• He intentionally threw at only three hitters in his career: Ron Gant, Andrés Galarraga, and Al Bumbry.
• Gossage graduated from Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, where he played baseball and basketball.

Professional career

Gossage was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the ninth round of the 1970 MLB draft and debuted on April 16, 1972. His first three seasons produced a 4.93 ERA, but he broke out in 1975 by leading the American League with 26 saves and 6.9 outs per relief appearance. That season, his 8.2 wins above replacement set a record for relief pitchers, surpassing John Hiller's mark of 7.9. The White Sox moved him to starting in 1976, earning his only All-Star selection as a starter but finishing 9–17. After the season, Chicago traded him and Terry Forster to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Silvio Martinez and Richie Zisk. He became a free agent after 1977 and signed a six-year, $3.6 million contract with the New York Yankees. Gossage led the AL in saves again in 1978 (27) and 1980 (33). On October 2, 1978, he earned the save in the Yankees' one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox for the AL East title, entering with one out in the seventh inning and a 4–2 lead; he allowed two runs in the eighth but preserved the 5–4 victory by getting Carl Yastrzemski to pop up with two out and two on in the ninth. Five days later, he clinched the AL pennant by striking out Clint Hurdle and retiring the next two batters in Game 4 of the ALCS. Ten days after that, he secured the World Series title by retiring Ron Cey on a popup in Game 6.

Pioneer of the closer role

The late-1970s and early-1980s Yankees pioneered the setup/closer configuration, with Ron Davis typically entering in the seventh or eighth inning and Gossage finishing. During one stretch with that pairing, the Yankees won 77 of 79 games when leading after six innings. Gossage and his contemporaries were known as firemen, entering with men on base and often pitching two or three innings. In his first season as a closer, he had 17 games with at least 10 outs, including three seven-inning appearances. He pitched over 130 relief innings in three different seasons and recorded more saves of at least two innings than saves of one inning or less. Mariano Rivera earned only one save of seven-plus outs in his career, while Gossage logged 53. Gossage finished 681 of his 1,002 games, earning 310 saves, and averaged 7.45 hits allowed and 7.47 strikeouts per nine innings. He made nine All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series.

Retirement

Gossage lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is active in promoting youth sports. In 1995, the city dedicated the Rick "Goose" Gossage Youth Sports Complex, featuring five fields for baseball and softball. He owned Burgers N Sports hamburger restaurants in Greeley and Parker, Colorado. His autobiography, The Goose is Loose, was released in 2000. His son Todd played professionally in the Can-Am League. Gossage coached the American League team in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game on July 12, 2010. At his 2008 Hall of Fame induction, he thanked several baseball people and described the week as "amazing"; inductee Dick Williams, his manager in San Diego, joined him for an ESPN interview. The Yankees honored him with a plaque in Monument Park on June 22, 2014. In retirement, Gossage has expressed support for President Donald Trump and criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as Yankees players and executives, leading to his disinvitation from Yankees Spring Training and Old Timers' Day.