1978 Profile: Rich Gossage

1978 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"The Goose. He found his golden egg with the Yankees and it's worth $3.6 million.
His fastball is elusive. With the Pirates, Goose was second in the National League in ERA, had the most victories among relievers and was third in the league with 26 saves. He led the Pirates in strikeouts.
Goose was a starter for the White Sox in 1976 after a year in which he had 26 saves and was the American League Fireman of the Year.
Born in Colorado Springs, he won his first seven major league decisions, all in relief.
Gossage purchased a mascot for the Pirates ... a goose, naturally."

-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1978 Edition

"Goooose! That cry should fill the air at Yankee Stadium this summer every time Richard Michael Gossage is summoned from the bullpen. Rich, one of baseball's top relief pitchers, dons Yankee pinstripes after signing in November of 1977.
Gossage was the Yankees' #1 pick in the Free Agent Draft, and no doubt the man the Yanks were after right from the start. The 6-3, 210-pounder possesses a blazing fastball, and he used it to muster 11 wins, 26 saves and a 1.62 ERA in 1977. And Gossage won't turn 27 years old until July.
Rich came up in the White Sox organization and roomed with new teammate Bucky Dent in 1970, their first pro season. In 1975 he was the American League's Fireman of the Year with 26 saves and nine wins. The native of Colorado Springs, Colorado went to the Pirates in a post-1976 season trade, where he notched that amazing record in 72 games last year.
If you see any smiling faces among National League batters, it's probably because they are happy to see the Goose return to the American League. But none are as happy as the Yankees, considering that the American League club he's pitching for is based in New York."

-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook

"Gossage was the Yankees' number one pick in the 1977 Free Agent Draft. One of the top relief pitchers in baseball, he signed a six-year contract with the Yankees.
Rich is coming off his best year in the major leagues. He appeared in a Pirate record 72 games with an 11-9 mark, 26 saves and a 1.62 ERA - all this while pitching primarily on astroturf. Six times he shared shutouts, finishing all six of them.
A teammate of Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent in the White Sox organization, they both began with Sarasota in 1970. In 1971, Rich moved to Appleton and had a phenomenal season as a starter, compiling an 18-2 record and being named the Midwest League's Player of the Year. He made the jump from A ball to the White Sox in 1972, making his major league debut at the age of 19. He won his first seven big-league decisions, all in relief, his only loss that year being his only starting assignment, at the end of the season.
The American League's Fireman of the Year in 1975 while with the White Sox, Rich compiled a league leading 26 saves, with a 9-8 record in 62 games and a 1.84 ERA. He allowed only three homers and 99 hits in 142 innings pitched.
He was made a starter for the Sox in 1976 but went back to the bullpen for the Pirates last year. His most impressive outing last season was a game against the Dodgers on May 19 in which he struck out eight of the eleven men he faced.
Nicknamed Goose, he was the primary acquisition the Yankees wanted to make in the Free Agent Draft. Yankee scout Birdie Tebbets said he was the most valuable man on the list, and suggested the Yanks let no contending American League club get him.
Rich possesses an exceptional fastball and is a strikeout pitcher.
He likes to hunt and fish in the winter."

-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide