Rich Gossage was born on Thursday, July 5, 1951, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Gossage was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 16, 1972, with the Chicago White Sox. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Rich Gossage baseball stats page.
"It is hard to explain what the feeling is like when you first put that Yankee uniform on. The New York pinstripes, it's all there. There is not another place like Yankee Stadium." - Gossage, Goose. Baseball Digest. March 1979. Page 14.
Rich GossageRich 'Goose' Gossage Autograph on a 1981 Fleer Baseball Card (#89) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rich GossageRich Gossage Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1972 | 21 | White Sox | 36 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1 | .875 | 4.28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 80.0 | 352 | 72 | 38 | 44 | 2 | 44 | 3 | 57 | 7 | 4 | 0 | - |
1973 | 22 | White Sox | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 7.43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 | 232 | 57 | 41 | 44 | 9 | 37 | 2 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 0 | - |
1974 | 23 | White Sox | 39 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 4.13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 89.1 | 397 | 92 | 41 | 45 | 4 | 47 | 7 | 64 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - |
1975 | 24 | White Sox | 62 | 0 | 49 | 9 | 8 | .529 | 1.84 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 141.2 | 582 | 99 | 29 | 32 | 3 | 70 | 15 | 130 | 3 | 5 | 0 | - |
1976 | 25 | White Sox | 31 | 29 | 1 | 9 | 17 | .346 | 3.94 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 224.0 | 956 | 214 | 98 | 104 | 16 | 90 | 3 | 135 | 6 | 9 | 0 | - |
1977 | 26 | Pirates | 72 | 0 | 55 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 1.62 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 133.0 | 523 | 78 | 24 | 27 | 9 | 49 | 6 | 151 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - |
1978 | 27 | Yankees | 63 | 0 | 55 | 10 | 11 | .476 | 2.01 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 134.1 | 543 | 87 | 30 | 41 | 9 | 59 | 8 | 122 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - |
1979 | 28 | Yankees | 36 | 0 | 33 | 5 | 3 | .625 | 2.62 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 58.1 | 234 | 48 | 17 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - |
1980 | 29 | Yankees | 64 | 0 | 58 | 6 | 2 | .750 | 2.27 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 99.0 | 401 | 74 | 25 | 29 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 103 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - |
1981 | 30 | Yankees | 32 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 0.77 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 46.2 | 173 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
1982 | 31 | Yankees | 56 | 0 | 43 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 2.23 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 93.0 | 356 | 63 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 28 | 5 | 102 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
1983 | 32 | Yankees | 57 | 0 | 47 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 2.27 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 87.1 | 367 | 82 | 22 | 27 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 90 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
1984 | 33 | Padres | 62 | 0 | 51 | 10 | 6 | .625 | 2.90 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 102.1 | 412 | 75 | 33 | 34 | 6 | 36 | 4 | 84 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - |
1985 | 34 | Padres | 50 | 0 | 38 | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1.82 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 79.0 | 308 | 64 | 16 | 21 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
1986 | 35 | Padres | 45 | 0 | 38 | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4.45 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 64.2 | 281 | 69 | 32 | 36 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 63 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - |
1987 | 36 | Padres | 40 | 0 | 30 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 3.12 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 52.0 | 217 | 47 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 19 | 6 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
1988 | 37 | Cubs | 46 | 0 | 33 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 4.33 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 43.2 | 194 | 50 | 21 | 23 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - |
1989 | 38 | Giants | 31 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2.68 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 43.2 | 182 | 32 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 27 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
1989 | 38 | Yankees | 11 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.77 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14.1 | 56 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
1991 | 40 | Rangers | 44 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 3.57 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 40.1 | 167 | 33 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - |
1992 | 41 | Athletics | 30 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.0 | 163 | 32 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - |
1993 | 42 | Athletics | 39 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 4.53 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47.2 | 213 | 49 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 26 | 2 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - |
1994 | 43 | Mariners | 36 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 4.18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47.1 | 197 | 44 | 22 | 23 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
22 Years | 1,002 | 37 | 681 | 124 | 107 | .537 | 3.01 | 16 | 0 | 310 | 1,809.1 | 7,506 | 1,497 | 605 | 670 | 119 | 732 | 90 | 1,502 | 63 | 47 | 5 | - |
Rich GossageRich Gossage Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1972 | 21 | White Sox | 36 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1973 | 22 | White Sox | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1974 | 23 | White Sox | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1975 | 24 | White Sox | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1976 | 25 | White Sox | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1977 | 26 | Pirates | 72 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .217 | .250 | .261 |
1978 | 27 | Yankees | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1979 | 28 | Yankees | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1980 | 29 | Yankees | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1981 | 30 | Yankees | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1982 | 31 | Yankees | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1983 | 32 | Yankees | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1984 | 33 | Padres | 62 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | .217 | .182 |
1985 | 34 | Padres | 50 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .154 | .000 |
1986 | 35 | Padres | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1987 | 36 | Padres | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1988 | 37 | Cubs | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1989 | 38 | Giants | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1989 | 38 | Yankees | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1991 | 40 | Rangers | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1992 | 41 | Athletics | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1993 | 42 | Athletics | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1994 | 43 | Mariners | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
22 Years | 1,003 | 85 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .106 | .146 | .118 |
Rich GossageRich Gossage Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1972 White Sox | P | 36 | 1 | 240 | 14 | 0.4 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .929 | 1.46 |
1973 White Sox | P | 20 | 4 | 149 | 11 | 0.6 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .909 | 1.81 |
1974 White Sox | P | 39 | 3 | 268 | 19 | 0.5 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .895 | 1.71 |
1975 White Sox | P | 62 | 0 | 425 | 31 | 0.5 | 28 | 3 | 25 | 3 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .903 | 1.78 |
1976 White Sox | P | 31 | 29 | 672 | 48 | 1.5 | 45 | 18 | 27 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .938 | 1.81 |
1977 Pirates | P | 72 | 0 | 399 | 15 | 0.2 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 0.95 |
1978 Yankees | P | 63 | 0 | 403 | 21 | 0.3 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .857 | 1.21 |
1979 Yankees | P | 36 | 0 | 175 | 5 | 0.1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.77 |
1980 Yankees | P | 64 | 0 | 297 | 13 | 0.2 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .846 | 1.00 |
1981 Yankees | P | 32 | 0 | 140 | 10 | 0.3 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .900 | 1.74 |
1982 Yankees | P | 56 | 0 | 279 | 8 | 0.1 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.77 |
1983 Yankees | P | 57 | 0 | 262 | 6 | 0.1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 0.52 |
1984 Padres | P | 62 | 0 | 307 | 13 | 0.2 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.14 |
1985 Padres | P | 50 | 0 | 237 | 7 | 0.1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.80 |
1986 Padres | P | 45 | 0 | 194 | 7 | 0.2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.97 |
1987 Padres | P | 40 | 0 | 156 | 7 | 0.2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.21 |
1988 Cubs | P | 46 | 0 | 131 | 8 | 0.2 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.65 |
1989 Giants | P | 31 | 0 | 131 | 9 | 0.3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 1.65 |
1989 Yankees | P | 11 | 0 | 43 | 3 | 0.3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.88 |
1991 Rangers | P | 44 | 0 | 121 | 5 | 0.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 0.89 |
1992 Athletics | P | 30 | 0 | 114 | 6 | 0.2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.42 |
1993 Athletics | P | 39 | 0 | 143 | 9 | 0.2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 1.51 |
1994 Mariners | P | 36 | 0 | 142 | 4 | 0.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.76 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 1,002 | 37 | 5,428 | 279 | 0.3 | 258 | 78 | 180 | 21 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .925 | 1.28 | |
22 Years | 1,002 | 37 | 5,428 | 279 | 0.3 | 258 | 78 | 180 | 21 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .925 | 1.28 |
Rich GossageRich Gossage Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1972 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.30 | 6.41 | 4.95 |
1973 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.89 | 5.98 | 6.70 |
1974 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.36 | 6.45 | 4.74 |
1975 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.86 | 8.26 | 4.45 |
1976 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.50 | 5.42 | 3.62 |
1977 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.9 | 11.5 | 3.08 | 10.22 | 3.32 |
1978 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.07 | 8.17 | 3.95 |
1979 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.16 | 6.33 | 2.93 |
1980 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.78 | 9.36 | 3.36 |
1981 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.43 | 9.26 | 2.70 |
1982 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.64 | 9.87 | 2.71 |
1983 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.60 | 9.27 | 2.58 |
1984 Padres | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 2.33 | 7.39 | 3.17 |
1985 Padres | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 3.06 | 5.92 | 1.94 |
1986 Padres | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 3.15 | 8.77 | 2.78 |
1987 Padres | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.32 | 7.62 | 3.29 |
1988 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.00 | 6.18 | 3.09 |
1989 Giants | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.89 | 4.95 | 5.56 |
1989 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.00 | 3.77 | 1.88 |
1991 Rangers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.75 | 6.25 | 3.57 |
1992 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.37 | 6.16 | 4.50 |
1993 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.54 | 7.55 | 4.91 |
1994 Mariners | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.93 | 5.51 | 2.85 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
22 Years | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 42.5 | 2.05 | 7.47 | 3.64 |
Richard Michael Gossage was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Chicago White Sox (1972-1976), Pittsburgh Pirates (1977), New York Yankees (1978-1983), San Diego Padres (1984-1987), Chicago Cubs (1988), San Francisco Giants (1989), New York Yankees (1989), Texas Rangers (1991), Oakland Athletics (1992-1993) and Seattle Mariners (1994). Goose, his nickname, had a blistering fastball and one of the pioneers in the field of modern day closers.
Goose Gossage Rookie Card | 1973 Topps Baseball Card (#174 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
Did you know that Goose Gossage, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008, was one of only five relief pitchers at the time of his induction? Those who paved the way before him were Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis Eckersley (2004) and Bruce Sutter (2006).
Goose Gossage | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 2008 (HOF)
Goose Gossage hung up his cleats with 310 saves, a relatively low number in modern baseball history (Top 1,000), but at the time of his retirement, Rich was fourth all-time in history behind Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers and Lee Smith. He was also only the third pitcher (first two ever were Hoyt Wilhelm and Kent Tekulve) to appear in 1,000 different games at that point in baseball history (Top 1,000). Which one is it? Rich or Goose? Well in his rookie season, Rich had a roommate named Tom Bradley who said he looked like a goose when he leaned in to get the signs, a life-long nickname was created! Source: Goose Gossage!
Goose Gossage | Sports Illustrated Publicity Photo | October 1980
Baseball Almanac Research Library