Rich "Goose" Gossage (2008)


Date of Birth: 7/5/1951
Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado
College: Colorado State University - Pueblo

Rich "Goose" Gossage's father played baseball with him when he was a child. He also talked about the game and its best players, inspiring Goose to get better at the game so that one day he could also be a major league player.

Chicago White Sox

Gossage was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in June, 1970. He began his professional baseball career as a starting pitcher and, in 1972, his first season in the major leagues, he pitched in 36 games and had a 7-1 record with 2 saves, 57 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a 4.28 ERA in 80.0 innings.

Gossage struggled in his second season, with a 7.38 ERA in 20 games. He finished the 1973 season with no wins and 4 losses and 33 strikeouts to 37 walks in 50.0 innings. He pitched much better in 1974, with 4 wins and 6 losses, 64 strikeouts to 47 walks, and a 4.15 ERA in 89.0 innings in 39 games.

One of Gossage's best seasons was 1975 when he led the AL in saves. He had a 9-8 win-loss record, 26 saves, 130 strikeouts to 70 walks, and a 1.84 ERA in 142.0 innings pitched in 62 games.

Gossage was primarily a starting pitcher in 1976 (29 games as a starter, 2 games as a reliever). He pitched a career high 224.0 innings and he had 9 wins to 17 losses, 1 save, 135 strikeouts to 90 walks, and a 3.94 ERA. He pitched 15 complete games that season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Gossage was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 10, 1976. He had a strong 1977 season, with a 1.62 ERA, 11 wins to 9 losses, 26 saves, and a career high 151 strikeouts to 49 walks in 133.0 innings in 72 games.

New York Yankees

Gossage became a free agent on October 28, 1977. A month later, on November 22nd, he signed with the New York Yankees. In 1978, his first season with the Yankees, he led the AL in saves and he won the Rolaids Relief Man award. He had 10 wins and 11 losses, 27 saves, 122 strikeouts to 59 walks, and a 2.01 ERA in 134.0 innings in 63 games. The following year, he had a 5-3 win-loss record, 18 saves, 41 strikeouts to 19 walks, and a 2.64 ERA in 58.0 innings in 36 games.

In 1980, Gossage again led the AL in saves. He finished the season with 6 wins and 2 losses, 33 saves, and a 2.27 ERA in 99.0 innings in 64 games. He had a career low ERA of 0.77 in 1981. He also had 20 saves and 48 strikeouts to 14 walks in 47.0 innings in 32 games.

Gossage continued to play well for the Yankees in 1982 and 1983. He had 30 saves, 102 strikeouts to 28 walks, and a 2.23 ERA in 93.0 innings in 56 games in 1982. He had similar numbers the following season: 22 saves, 90 strikeouts to 25 walks, 2.27 ERA in 87.1 innings in 57 games.

San Diego Padres

Gossage became a free agent again on November 7, 1983. He signed with the San Diego Padres on January 6, 1984. He finished his first season with the Padres with 10 wins and 6 losses, 25 saves, 84 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a 2.90 ERA in 102.1 innings in 62 games.

In 1985, Gossage's ERA dropped to 1.82. He had 26 saves in 79.0 innings in 50 games. He didn't play nearly as well in 1986, finishing the season with 21 saves, 63 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a 4.45 ERA in 64.2 innings in 45 games. His ERA dropped down to 3.12 in 1987, when he had just 11 saves in 52.0 innings in 40 games.

Chicago Cubs

Gossage was traded to the Chicago Cubs on February 12, 1988. In his one season with the Cubs, he had 13 saves, 30 strikeouts to 15 walks, and a 4.33 ERA in 43.2 innings in 46 games.

San Francisco Giants/New York Yankees

The Cubs released Gossage on March 28, 1989. He signed with the San Francisco Giants on April 14th. The Yankees claimed him off waivers on August 10th. He finished the 1989 season with 3 wins and 1 loss, 5 saves, 30 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a 2.95 ERA in 58.0 innings in 31 games with the Giants and 11 games with the Yankees.

Gossage became a free agent on November 13, 1989. He spent the 1990 season playing in Japan.

Texas Rangers

Gossage signed with the Texas Rangers on January 25, 1991. He finished that year with 4 wins and 2 losses, 1 save, 28 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings in 44 games.

Oakland Athletics

Gossage once again became a free agent on October 30, 1991. He signed with the Oakland Athletics on January 27, 1992. In his first season with the team, he had a 2.84 ERA in 38.0 innings in 30 games. The following year, he pitched 47.2 innings in 39 games. He finished the 1993 season with 4 wins and 5 losses, 1 save, and a 4.53 ERA.

Seattle Mariners

The Athletics released Gossage on March 30, 1994. A few days later, on April 3rd, he signed with the Seattle Mariners. He had 3 wins and no losses, 1 save, and a 4.18 ERA in 1994, his last season in the major leagues.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Rolaids Relief Man in 1978
  • Led AL in saves (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Gossage in 22 seasons (1972-1989, 1991-1994) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 20 saves, with a high of 33 in 1980
  • 12 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with lows of 0.77 in 1981 in 32 games and 1.62 in 1977 in 72 games

Career pitching statistics for Gossage include:

  • 1,002 games played
  • 1,809.1 innings pitched
  • 310 saves
  • 1,502 strikeouts to 732 walks
  • 3.01 ERA

Career postseason statistics for Gossage include:

  • 19 games played
  • 29.0 innings pitched
  • 2-1 win-loss record
  • 8 saves
  • 29 strikeouts to 7 walks
  • 3.10 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rich "Goose" Gossage
ESPN - Rich "Goose" Gossage
Baseball Reference - Rich "Goose" Gossage

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