Player Info

Goose Gossage

Career Highlights: Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage was one of the earliest versions of the dominating modern closer with his blistering fastball, tough demeanor and wild facial hair…Goosage played 21 seasons in the majors for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees (1978-1983) and San Diego Padres (1984-87)….Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and finished 681 of them earning 310 saves…A nine-time All-Star, he pitched in three World Series…. He led the American League in saves in 1975 (26), 1978 (27) and 1980 (33) and was runner-up twice...From 1977 through 1983, he never recorded an earned run average over 2.62, including a mark of 0.77 in 1981 while with the Yankees…In 1980 he finished third in American League voting for both the MVP Award and Cy Young Award as the Yankees won a division title...He holds the New York Yankees career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59)...Respected for his impact in crucial games, he recorded the final out to clinch a division, league or World Series title seven times…His eight All-Star selections as a reliever were a record until Marian Rivera passed him in 2008…He was also selected once as a starting pitcher...One difference between Gossage and more recent closers is that Gossage often pitched as many as three innings to finish a game, while modern closers typically pitch the ninth inning only…Goosage was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008…A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, he is active in the community promoting and sponsoring youth sports…In 1995, the city of Colorado Springs dedicated the Rich “Goose” Gossage Youth Sports Complex, which features five fields for youth baseball and softball…His nickname “Goose” is a play on his surname...Goosage wrote an autobiography in 2000 titled “The Goose is Loose.”

Updated: June, 2011

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