Rich Gossage, baseball player, 1972-1994

Rich Gossage

⭐ Hall of Fame 2008

Born: 7/5/1951 in Colorado Springs, CO, USA

MLB Debut: 1972-04-16 | Final Game: 1994-08-08

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Richard Michael Gossage

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Biography

Rich Gossage, born in 1951, was a dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his fierce competitiveness and formidable presence on the mound. His career spanned from 1972 until his retirement in 1994, during which he established himself as one of the premier relief pitchers of his era. Gossage finished his career with a record of 124-107 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.01. He recorded a remarkable 1,502 strikeouts and amassed 310 saves, showcasing his ability to close out games and secure victories for his teams. Gossage was selected as an All-Star nine times, a testament to his excellence and consistency throughout his career. His contributions to the game were recognized in 2008 when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest relief pitchers in history. Playing during a transformative era in baseball, Gossage was instrumental in popularizing the closer role, earning the nickname "Goose" for his intense demeanor and effectiveness in high-pressure situations. His influence on the game continues to be felt, as he paved the way for future generations of pitchers who aspire to excel in the late innings.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
124 107 1002 37 16 0 310 1809.3 1497 605 119 732 1502 3.01 0

Career ERA 3.01 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — 21.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1972 CHW AL 7 1 36 1 0 0 2 80.0 72 38 44 57 4.28 3.26 (-31%) -
1973 CHW AL 0 4 20 4 1 0 0 49.7 57 41 37 33 7.43 3.75 (-98%) -
1974 CHW AL 4 6 39 3 0 0 1 89.3 92 41 47 64 4.13 3.63 (-14%) -
1975 CHW AL 9 8 62 0 0 0 26 141.7 99 29 70 130 1.84 3.71 (+50%) -
1976 CHW AL 9 17 31 29 15 0 1 224.0 214 98 90 135 3.94 3.51 (-12%) -
1977 PIT NL 11 9 72 0 0 0 26 133.0 78 24 49 151 1.62 4.00 (+59%) 5127.7
1978 NYY AL 10 11 63 0 0 0 27 134.3 87 30 59 122 2.01 3.69 (+45%) -
1979 NYY AL 5 3 36 0 0 0 18 58.3 48 17 19 41 2.62 4.00 (+34%) -
1980 NYY AL 6 2 64 0 0 0 33 99.0 74 25 37 103 2.27 3.84 (+41%) -
1981 NYY AL 3 2 32 0 0 0 20 46.7 22 4 14 48 0.77 3.58 (+78%) -
1982 NYY AL 4 5 56 0 0 0 30 93.0 63 23 28 102 2.23 3.86 (+42%) -
1983 NYY AL 13 5 57 0 0 0 22 87.3 82 22 25 90 2.27 3.87 (+41%) -
1984 SDP NL 10 6 62 0 0 0 25 102.3 75 33 36 84 2.90 3.81 (+24%) -
1985 SDP NL 5 3 50 0 0 0 26 79.0 64 16 17 52 1.82 3.89 (+53%) -
1986 SDP NL 5 7 45 0 0 0 21 64.7 69 32 20 63 4.45 3.97 (-12%) -
1987 SDP NL 5 4 40 0 0 0 11 52.0 47 18 19 44 3.12 4.29 (+27%) -
1988 CHC NL 4 4 46 0 0 0 13 43.7 50 21 15 30 4.33 3.73 (-16%) -
1989 SFG NL 2 1 31 0 0 0 4 43.7 32 13 27 24 2.68 3.71 (+28%) -
1989 NYY AL 1 0 11 0 0 0 1 14.3 14 6 3 6 3.77 3.71 (-2%) -
1991 TEX AL 4 2 44 0 0 0 1 40.3 33 16 16 28 3.57 3.91 (+9%) -262.9
1992 OAK AL 0 2 30 0 0 0 0 38.0 32 12 19 26 2.84 3.75 (+24%) -993.5
1993 OAK AL 4 5 39 0 0 0 1 47.7 49 24 26 40 4.53 4.19 (-8%) -547.6
1994 SEA AL 3 0 36 0 0 0 1 47.3 44 22 15 29 4.18 4.51 (+7%) -218.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1003 85 1 9 1 0 0 2 0 4 37 0.106 0.146 0.118 0.264 0.0

Career AVG .106 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 59.1% below league average.

Career OBP .146 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 55.0% below league average.

Career SLG .118 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 69.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.264 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 62.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1972 CHW AL 36 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 CHW AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 CHW AL 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 CHW AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CHW AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 PIT NL 72 23 0 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 8 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1978 NYY AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 NYY AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 NYY AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYY AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 NYY AL 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 NYY AL 57 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 SDP NL 62 22 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1985 SDP NL 50 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 SDP NL 45 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1987 SDP NL 40 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1988 CHC NL 46 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1989 SFG NL 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1989 NYY AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 TEX AL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 OAK AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 OAK AL 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 SEA AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
19 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1984 NLCS SDN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 WS SDN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AEDIV NYA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 ALCS NYA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 WS NYA 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1980 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 ALCS NYA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 WS NYA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 19 0 8 31.3 21 10 7 29 2.87

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1984 NLCS SDN 0 0 3 0 1 4.0 5 2 1 5 4.50
1984 WS SDN 0 0 2 0 0 2.7 3 4 1 2 13.50
1981 AEDIV NYA 0 0 3 0 3 6.7 3 0 2 8 0.00
1981 ALCS NYA 0 0 2 0 1 2.7 1 0 0 2 0.00
1981 WS NYA 0 0 3 0 2 5.0 2 0 2 5 0.00
1980 ALCS NYA 0 1 1 0 0 0.3 3 2 0 0 54.00
1978 ALCS NYA 1 0 2 0 1 4.0 3 2 0 3 4.50
1978 WS NYA 1 0 3 0 0 6.0 1 0 1 4 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 1002 37 78 180 21 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1972 CHA P 36 1 3 10 1 1
1973 CHA P 20 4 5 5 1 0
1974 CHA P 39 3 3 14 2 1
1975 CHA P 62 0 3 25 3 3
1976 CHA P 31 29 18 27 3 1
1977 PIT P 72 0 4 10 1 0
1978 NYA P 63 0 6 12 3 0
1979 NYA P 36 0 1 4 0 0
1980 NYA P 64 0 1 10 2 0
1981 NYA P 32 0 2 7 1 1
1982 NYA P 56 0 2 6 0 1
1983 NYA P 57 0 2 3 1 0
1984 SDN P 62 0 5 8 0 0
1985 SDN P 50 0 0 7 0 1
1986 SDN P 45 0 2 5 0 0
1987 SDN P 40 0 2 5 0 0
1988 CHN P 46 0 1 7 0 0
1989 SFN P 31 0 5 3 1 0
1989 NYA P 11 0 2 1 0 1
1991 TEX P 44 0 2 2 1 0
1992 OAK P 30 0 2 4 0 0
1993 OAK P 39 0 5 3 1 0
1994 SEA P 36 0 2 2 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1002
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Pitcher of the Month September
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-09-01
1978 Reliever of the Year Award
1978 TSN Fireman of the Year
1975 TSN Fireman of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#5
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 5 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1993 OAK AL $325,000
1992 OAK AL $300,000
1989 SFN NL $68,000
1988 CHN NL $1,331,532
1987 SDN NL $1,273,904
1986 SDN NL $1,046,761
1985 SDN NL $1,713,333
Total Career Earnings $6,058,530

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Cy Young Award NL 5th 3.0 120 0
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 34.0 336 0
1981 Cy Young Award AL 5th 3.0 140 0
1981 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 62.0 392 0
1980 Cy Young Award AL 3rd 37.0 140 2
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 218.0 392 4
1978 Cy Young Award AL 5th 4.0 140 0
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 39.0 392 0
1975 Cy Young Award AL 6th 2.0 120 0
1975 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 11.0 336 0