Goose Gossage

Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage was born on July 5, 1951, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and he grew up near N. Cascade Avenue. He graduated in 1970 from Wasson High School, where he played on the baseball and basketball teams and is included in the school's athletic "Wall of Fame".{{cite web | last=Ramsey | first=David | title=Ramsey: Gossage looks back at Wasson memories | website=Colorado Springs Gazette | date=2013-06-01 | url=https://gazette.com/news/ramsey-gossage-looks-back-at-wasson-memories/article_b11c331f-0fcb-5ebd-8fb1-bbc56ff6b3eb.html | access-date=2025-03-10}} His wife Corna Gossage also graduated from Wasson High.

Gossage was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the ninth round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut on April 16, 1972. During his first three major league seasons, he recorded a 4.93 earned run average (ERA). He then had a breakout season in 1975, leading the American League (AL) in saves (26) and outs per relief appearance (6.9). According to wins above replacement, Gossage's 1975 season was the most valuable season of any relief pitcher in MLB history.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gossari01.shtml|title=Rich Gossage – Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=March 3, 2025}} The White Sox converted Gossage to a starting pitcher in 1976, but he failed to replicate his success from 1975, finishing with a 9–17 record.

After the 1976 season, the White Sox traded Gossage and Terry Forster to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Silvio Martinez and Richie Zisk.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19761212&id=iXMjAAAAIBAJ&pg=3538,5265664|title=Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}} With the Pirates, Gossage returned to relief pitching and had another spectacular season, recording 26 saves, a 1.62 ERA and a career-high 151 strikeouts.

Gossage became a free agent after the 1977 season, and signed with the New York Yankees for $3.6 million over six years.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/23/archives/yanks-sign-gossage-to-36-million-pact-yanks-sign-gossage-for-36.html|title=Yanks Sign Gossage To $3.6 Million Pact|first=Murray|last=Chass|work=The New York Times |date=November 23, 1977|via=NYTimes.com}}

Gossage again led the AL in saves in 1978 (27) and 1980 (33). On October 2, {{baseball year|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 following Bucky Dent's home run; although he allowed two runs in the eighth inning, he held on to preserve the 5–4 victory, getting Carl Yastrzemski to pop up to third baseman Graig Nettles with two out and two men on base in the ninth inning to clinch the division championship. He was also on the mound five days later when the Yankees clinched the pennant in the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals, entering Game 4 in the ninth inning with a 2–1 lead and a runner on second base; he earned the save by striking out Clint Hurdle and retiring Darrell Porter and Pete LaCock on fly balls. He was on the mound ten days later when they captured the World Series title against the Los Angeles Dodgers for their second consecutive championship, coming on with no one out in the eighth inning of Game 6; he retired Ron Cey on a popup to catcher Thurman Munson to clinch the win.

On April 19, 1979, following a Yankee loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Reggie Jackson started kidding Cliff Johnson about his inability to hit Gossage. While Johnson was showering, Gossage insisted to Jackson that he struck out Johnson all the time when he used to face him, and that he was terrible at the plate. “He either homers or strikes out”, Gossage said. He had previously given Johnson the nickname “Breeze” in reference to how his big swing kept Gossage cool on the pitcher’s mound in hot weather. When Jackson relayed this information to Johnson upon his return to the locker room, all the players assembled, egged on by Jackson, started laughing at him and in unison loudly called him “Breeze” with some waving their arms and hands before doubling over. This infuriated Johnson and a fight started between him and Gossage. Gossage tore ligaments in his right thumb and missed three months of the season which cost the Yankees a chance to win their third consecutive World Series title. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was furious and fined both Johnson and Gossage. Teammate Tommy John called it "a demoralizing blow to the team."{{cite book|last1=John|first1=Tommy|last2=Valenti|first2=Dan|title=TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball|publisher=Bantam|location=New York|year=1991|isbn=0-553-07184-X|page=201}} Johnson was traded to Cleveland two months after the brawl.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=858oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5213,3280612&dq=gossage+cliff+johnson&hl=en|title=Cliff Johnson traded|date=16 June 1979|work=Milwaukee Journal|agency=Associated Press|access-date=18 October 2011|archive-date=23 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423183746/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=858oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5213,3280612&dq=gossage+cliff+johnson&hl=en|url-status=dead}} Ron Guidry, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, volunteered to go to the bullpen to replace him. In the first game of a doubleheader on October 4, {{baseball year|1980}}, Gossage pitched the last two innings of a 5–2 win over the Detroit Tigers, earning his career-high 33rd save as New York clinched another division title. On October 10, George Brett of the Royals hit a tide-turning three-run homer off Gossage into Yankee Stadium's right-field upper deck to lead the Royals to a three-game sweep in the AL Championship Series, after the Yankees had defeated the Royals in three consecutive ALCS from 1976 to 1978. Almost three years later during the regular season, Brett got to Gossage again in the Bronx, blasting a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth in a game memorialized as the "Pine Tar Game".

File:Rich Gossage - New York Yankees - 1981.jpg

Gossage recorded saves in all three Yankee victories in the 1981 AL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, not allowing a run in {{frac|6|2|3}} innings, and he was again the final pitcher when they clinched the 1981 pennant against the Oakland Athletics. In {{baseball year|1983}}, his last season with the Yankees, Gossage broke Sparky Lyle's club record of 141 career saves; Dave Righetti passed his final total of 150 in {{baseball year|1988}}. Gossage holds the Yankees' career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59) among pitchers with at least 500 innings for the team.

In eight of his first ten seasons as a closer, Gossage's ERA was less than 2.27.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/hof07/news/story?id=2703632|title=Famers on the Fringe|access-date=2008-08-01 |work=ESPN.com |date=20 December 2006 }} Over his career, right-handed hitters hit .211 against him.

File:goosegossage1.jpg

Gossage became upset with Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner for meddling with the team. In 1982, he called Steinbrenner "the fat man upstairs", and disapproved of the way Yankees' manager Billy Martin used him. Gossage became a free agent after the 1983 season, and insisted that he would not re-sign with New York.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19831221&id=hMYxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1802,1707017|title=Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}

Gossage signed with the San Diego Padres. In 1984, Gossage clinched another title, earning the save in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series and sending the Padres to their first World Series; after San Diego had scored four runs in the seventh inning to take a 6–3 lead against the Chicago Cubs, Gossage pitched the final two innings, getting Jody Davis to hit into a force play for the final out. During Game 5 of the 1984 World Series versus the Detroit Tigers, after receiving signs from the coaches on the Padres bench and a mound visit by manager Dick Williams, Gossage refused to intentionally walk right fielder Kirk Gibson with two runners on and first base open. On the second pitch, Gossage and the Padres would regret that decision as Gibson homered to deep right field, clinching a World Series win for the Tigers. On August 17, {{baseball year|1986}}, Gossage struck out Pete Rose in Rose's final Major League at bat.Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p. 11, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, {{ISBN|978-1-55365-507-7}}

Gossage was dealt along with Ray Hayward from the Padres to the Cubs for Keith Moreland and Mike Brumley on February 12, 1988.{{cite web | first=Fred | last=Mitchell |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/02/13/cubs-deal-moreland-for-gossage/ |title=Cubs Deal Moreland For Gossage – Chicago Tribune |publisher=Articles.chicagotribune.com |date=1988-02-13 |access-date=2014-04-14}} On August 6, {{baseball year|1988}}, while with the Cubs, Gossage became the second pitcher to record 300 career saves in a 7–4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, coming into the game with two out in the ninth and two men on base and retiring Phil Bradley on a popup to second baseman Ryne Sandberg. He was released by the Cubs in March 1989.{{cite news|title=The feared fastball is gone, and so is 'Goose' Gossage.|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19890329&id=9soaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5901,6543311|access-date=27 December 2014|work=The Daily News|agency=AP|date=29 March 1989}}

Gossage signed with the San Francisco Giants in April.{{cite web|author1=Alfonso L.|author2=Tusa C.|title=Rich Gossage-SABR|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/0871f3e2|website=SABR Baseball Biography Project|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=27 December 2014|date=27 October 2011|quote=After one year in Chicago, "experimenting with off-speed pitches to compensate for a diminished fastball," he was released. The 1989 season featured a stop with the San Francisco Giants and a brief return to the Yankees.}}

The Yankees selected Gossage off of waivers in August.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/11/sports/gossage-rejoins-yanks.html|title=Gossage Rejoins Yanks|work=The New York Times |agency=The Associated Press|date=August 11, 1989|via=NYTimes.com|accessdate=May 17, 2024}}

Gossage pitched for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1990.

Gossage signed with the Texas Rangers for the 1991 season. On July 23 of that year, he recorded his 308th career save in what also happened to be Nolan Ryan's 308th career win.

Gossage signed one-year contracts to pitch for the Oakland Athletics in 1992 and 1993.

File:Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs 1988-08-06 (ticket).JPG

Gossage signed with the Seattle Mariners for the 1994 season. On August 4, {{baseball year|1994}}, Gossage became the third pitcher in major league history to appear in 1,000 games. Gossage entered a game against the California Angels with two out in the seventh inning and runners on second and third base, trailing 2–1; he picked up the win when the Mariners scored three times in the eighth for a 4–2 victory. In his final major league appearance on August 8, he earned a save of three innings—his first in over 15 months—in the Mariners' 14–4 win over the Rangers, retiring all nine batters he faced; José Canseco flied out to left field to end the game.

Gossage had a record 112 career blown saves. ESPN.com noted that blown saves are "non-qualitative", pointing out that the two career leaders—Gossage and Rollie Fingers (109)—were both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.{{cite news |last=Philip |first=Tom |title=Blown saves are overblown |date=April 30, 2011 |work=ESPN.com |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/9892/blown-saves-are-overblown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808184640/http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/9892/blown-saves-are-overblown |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |url-status=live }} Fran Zimniuch in Fireman: The Evolution of the Closer in Baseball wrote, "But you have to be a great relief pitcher to blow that many saves. Clearly, [Gossage] saved many, many more than he did not save."{{cite book|title=Fireman: The Evolution of the Closer in Baseball|first=Fran|last=Zimniuch|page=[https://archive.org/details/firemanevolution0000zimn/page/98 98]|publisher=Triumph Books|location=Chicago|year=2010|isbn=978-1-60078-312-8|ref=zimniuch|url=https://archive.org/details/firemanevolution0000zimn/page/98}} More than half of Gossage's blown saves came in tough situations, with the tying run on base when the pitcher entered. In nearly half of those blown tough saves, he entered the game in the sixth or seventh inning. Multiple-inning outings provide more chances for a reliever to blow a save, as he needs not only to get out of the initial situation but also to pitch additional innings in which to possibly lose the lead.{{cite web |last=Schechter |first=Gabriel |title=Top Relievers in Trouble |date=March 21, 2006 |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/columns/gs_060321.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608042732/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/columns/gs_060321.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2007}}

The New York Yankees of the late 1970s and early 1980s arguably pioneered the set-up/closer configuration, which was a standard baseball practice until the 2010s. The most effective pairing was Ron Davis and Gossage, with Davis typically entering the game in the 7th or 8th innings and Gossage finishing up. During one stretch with that pairing, the Yankees won 77 of 79 games in which they led after six innings.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Gossage and top relievers of his era were known as firemen, relievers who entered the game when a lead was in jeopardy—usually with men on base—and regardless of the inning and often pitching two or three innings while finishing the game.{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Chris |title=Where's the fire? |date=September 25, 2006 |newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060925/news_1s25saves.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628203118/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060925/news_1s25saves.html |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last=Caple |first=Jim |title=The most overrated position in sports |date=August 5, 2008 |work=ESPN.com |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/080805 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629023701/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple%2F080805 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=March 23, 2017 }}Zimniuch 2010, pp.xx,81 Gossage had 17 games where he recorded at least 10 outs in his first season as a closer, including three games where he went seven innings. He pitched over 130 innings as a reliever in three different seasons. He had more saves of at least two innings than saves where he pitched one inning or less.{{cite web |last=Schecter |first=Gabriel |title=The Evolution of the Closer |date=January 18, 2006 |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/columns/gs_060118.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608125510/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/columns/gs_060118.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2007 |quote=Sutter and Gossage had more saves where they logged at least two innings than saves where they pitched an inning or less.}} The ace reliever's role evolved into that of a closer, whose use was reserved for games where the team had a lead of three runs or less in the ninth inning.{{cite book| author=Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts| title=Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong|page=60|year=2007| publisher=Basic Books| location=New York| isbn=978-0-465-00547-5| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VsmnfVUKJskC&q=between%20the%20numbers%20baseball%20prospectus&pg=PA59| access-date = February 23, 2011}} Mariano Rivera, considered the greatest closer of all time,{{cite web|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-03-13/sports/27058930_1_puerto-caimito-cardboard-cousin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310083209/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-03-13/sports/27058930_1_puerto-caimito-cardboard-cousin|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 10, 2012|title=Modern Yankee Heroes: From humble beginnings, Mariano Rivera becomes the greatest closer in MLB history|author=Red, Christian|work=Daily News|date=March 13, 2010|access-date=December 2, 2011}} earned only one save of seven-plus outs in his career, while Gossage logged 53.{{cite book |last=Rosen |first=Charlie |author-link=Charley Rosen |title=Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees |year=2011 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |page=[https://archive.org/details/bullpendiariesma0000rose/page/213 213] |isbn=978-0-06-200598-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bullpendiariesma0000rose/page/213 }} "Don't tell me [Rivera's] the best relief pitcher of all-time until he can do the same job I did. He may be the best modern closer, but you have to compare apples to apples. Do what we did," said Gossage.Zimniuch 2010, p. 97

During his career, Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and finished 681 of them, earning 310 saves. Per nine innings pitched, he averaged 7.45 hits allowed and 7.47 strikeouts. He also made nine All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series.

Gossage was one of the few pitchers who employed basically just one pitch, a rising 100 mph fastball. Occasionally he would throw a slurve or a changeup. Despite his reputation as a pitcher who threw high and tight to brush batters back, Gossage stated that he intentionally threw at only three hitters in his career: Ron Gant, Andrés Galarraga, and Al Bumbry.{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080512&content_id=2687738&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy&partnered=rss_nyy|title=The Official Site of The New York Yankees: News: Goose not a fan of Joba's celebrations|access-date=2008-09-04 |work=MLB.com }}

The nickname "Goose" came about when a friend did not like Gossage's nickname "Goss", and noted he looked like a goose when he extended his neck to see the signs given by the catcher.{{cite magazine |last=Kaplan |first=Jim |date=September 29, 1980 |title=He's The Golden Goose |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1980/09/29/hes-the-golden-goose-as-his-30-saves-6-1-record-and-179-era-suggest-relief-pitcher-rich-gossage-almost-never-lays-an-egg-which-is-a-big-reason-the-yankees-are-leading-their-division |magazine=Sports Illustrated |location=New York, NY |publisher=Time Inc.}}{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Richard |date=2008 |title=The Greatest Game |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rK4n2VNO-6cC&pg=PA74 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Free Press |pages=74–75 |isbn=978-1-4165-3439-6 |via=Google Books}} Although Gossage is otherwise generally referred to as "Rich" in popular media, a youth sports complex in his hometown of Colorado Springs named after him bears the name "Rick", displaying "Rick 'Goose' Gossage Youth Sports Complex".{{cite web |url=http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc353/TameraGoldsmith/CS%20Daily%20Photo%202009/07082009.jpg |title=Photo, Sign, Gossage Youth Sports Complex |last=Goldsmith |first=Tamera |website=Photobucket |publisher=Photobucket Corporation |location=Seattle, WA |access-date=May 2, 2021}}

File:Goosegossage.JPG during the 2008 All-Star break.]]

Gossage lives in his home town, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is active in the community promoting and sponsoring youth sports. In 1995, the city of Colorado Springs dedicated the Rick "Goose" Gossage Youth Sports Complex,{{cite web|url=http://media.photobucket.com/image/colorado%20springs%20gossage%20park/TameraGoldsmith/CS%2520Daily%2520Photo%25202009/07082009.jpg |title=07082009.jpg Photo by TameraGoldsmith | Photobucket |publisher=Media.photobucket.com |access-date=2014-04-14}} which features five fields for youth baseball and softball competition. He also owned hamburger restaurants in Greeley and Parker, Colorado, called Burgers N Sports.

He has written an autobiography, released in 2000, entitled The Goose is Loose (Ballantine: New York).

His son, Todd, is a professional baseball player who has played for the Sussex Skyhawks, Newark Bears, and Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League.

Gossage coached the American League team in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game in Anaheim, California on July 12, 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2010/jul/22/photos-mlb-stars-and-celebrities-play-angels-stadi/|title=Photos: MLB stars and celebrities at play at Angels Stadium - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper|website=www.lasvegassun.com}}

At the Hall of Fame induction in 2008, Gossage expressed gratitude to a number of baseball people who had helped him through his career, and several times described his Hall of Fame week experience as "amazing".{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080727&content_id=3210707&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title='Storybook career' leads Goose to Hall | MLB.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |date=2014-03-27 |access-date=2014-04-14}} The inductions included Dick Williams, his manager at San Diego. After the ceremonies, the two of them sat together for an ESPN interview on the podium, taking audience questions and gently ribbing each other, especially about the upper-deck home run Kirk Gibson hit off Gossage in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series.

The Yankees honored Gossage with a plaque in Monument Park on June 22, 2014.{{cite press release |title=Yankees to honor Joe Torre, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill in 2014 with plaques in Monument Park; Torre's uniform no. 6 to also be retired: Ceremonies are part of a recognition series that will include Bernie Williams in 2015 |date=May 8, 2014 |work=MLB.com |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yankees-to-honor-torre-gossage-martinez-and-oneill/c-74780552 |access-date=2024-09-12}}

In his retirement Gossage has expressed support of former US President Donald J. Trump and an equal disdain for Trump's opponents. He has also openly criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and organization as well.{{Cite web | url=https://www.nj.com/yankees/2021/01/yankees-goose-gossage-defends-curt-schilling-donald-trump-and-rips-black-lives-matter-democrats-in-revealing-q-a.html | title=Yankees' Goose Gossage defends Curt Schilling, Donald Trump in revealing Q & A | date=29 January 2021 }} Due to these comments and continuous criticism of New York Yankees players (especially Mariano Rivera), and front office executives such as Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner, Gossage has been disinvited from Yankees Spring Training and other events such as "Old Timers' Day."{{Cite web | url=https://www.nj.com/yankees/2020/04/yankees-great-goose-gossage-praying-bleeping-liberals-go-off-cliff-for-attacking-president-trump-in-latest-epic-rant.html | title=Yankees great Goose Gossage prays bleeping liberals 'go off the cliff' for attacking President Trump in epic rant | date=15 April 2020 }}

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