1981 Profile: Rich Gossage

1981 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Sensational during the second half of the season, Gossage may have been the Most Valuable Yankee. He signed a $2.75 million contract with the Yanks as a free agent, but has been worth his weight in gold. Hitters quake at his sight. He thrives on pressure. His fastball has been regularly clocked at 96 m.p.h.
Born in Colorado Springs, Gossage won't soon forget the three-run homer he served up to George Brett to give Kansas City the pennant. Friends and foes alike call him 'Goose.' He had always been a starter until the White Sox sent him to the bullpen.
'The more I did it, the more I loved it,' Goose says when asked about pitching in relief. 'I couldn't go nine anymore.'"

-Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1981 Edition

"Rich Gossage is a throwback to the grand, old days of baseball. He comes to the park early, enjoys the camaraderie of the clubhouse and becomes all business once the bell rings. For the Goose, that bell usually resounds after the seventh inning has arrived and the call for relief is answered.
More often than not, that call is answered with a save. In 1980, Goose tied for the league lead in that all-important category with 33. And he did it with a style that struck terror into the hearts of opposing batters. With a whip-like motion, the 6'4", 217-pound burly right-hander delivers fastballs the size of bee bees, and last year he struck out more than a batter an inning. Not exactly the man you want up against your batter if you're Earl Weaver or Ralph Houk and you're down to your last out.
This is Goose's fourth Yankee season and if his importance to the club is ever questioned by skeptics, simply point to the fact that in his two full seasons on the mound the Yanks won two division titles and a World Championship. And in the year he missed 12 weeks with an injury, they finished fourth.
A native of Colorado Springs, Rich heads home after the final out is recorded and you won't hear from him all winter long. He enjoys his family and the cold mountain winters. With all the snow on the ground, it's the perfect place to soothe his flame-throwing arm so it can be ready to blaze toward another World Championship in '81."

-The New York Yankees Official 1981 Yearbook

"Gossage had an excellent 1980 season. He tied Dan Quisenberry for the American League lead in saves (33), the fourth time in his career he saved more than 25 in a season, but his first time over 30. He was successful in 33 of 37 possible save situations.
Goose had a stretch of 25 saves in as many opportunities from June 10 through September 28. From August 8 through September 21, he was 1-0 with 14 saves in 18 games, yielding no runs in 28.2 innings. He retired 28 consecutive batters in a seven-game stretch from August 26 through September 10.
Gossage had five saves and a 0.00 ERA in five games against Boston, and three wins, five saves and a 0.66 ERA in eight games against California. He averaged more than one strikeout per inning.
Goose finished third in the AL MVP voting behind George Brett and Reggie Jackson, and only he and Brett were listed on all 28 ballots. He also finished third in the Cy Young voting behind Steve Stone and Mike Norris and finished second to Quisenberry for Sporting News Fireman of the Year and Rolaids Relief Man of the Year. Goose was named to his fifth All-Star team in six years and was named the relief pitcher on the UPI AL All-Star team.
Gossage signed a six-year contract with the Yankees after he was their No. 1 pick in the 1977 Re-Entry Draft. The Yanks followed scout Birdie Tebbetts' recommendation that they let no contending AL club get him.
Goose responded in 1978 by leading the AL in saves with 27 and winning Sporting News Fireman of the Year and Rolaids Relief Man of the Year. He was on the mound for the three most important wins of '78: the playoff win at Boston (his greatest thrill in baseball), the ALCS clincher against Kansas City and the World Series finale with the Dodgers. Goose's most impressive '78 appearance came on September 3 against Seattle when he struck out the side on 11 pitches with none out in the ninth and the tying run on third and the lead run on second. He had 10 saves and two wins in his final 15 appearances of '78 and added two wins and a save in five postseason games.
1979 was semi-disastrous as Goose missed 12 weeks with a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament of the metacarpal-phalangeal joint of the right thumb suffered in a clubhouse scuffle with Cliff Johnson on April 19. He did not pitch again until July 12, yet still finished eighth in the AL with 18 saves.
Gossage began his career with the White Sox, after being drafted ninth in June 1970 by Bill Kimball. He came up in the White Sox organization with Bucky Dent and they were roommates as well as teammates. The Midwest League Player of the Year after going 18-2 with a 1.83 ERA in 1971 at Appleton, Gossage jumped from A ball to the majors the following year, making his debut at age 19. He won his first seven games, all in relief.
Goose was AL Fireman of the Year in 1975 when he led the league with 26 saves. He became a starter in 1976, and after that season was traded to the Pirates along with Terry Forster in exchange for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez. The Pirates returned him to the bullpen where he won 11 and saved 26 while fashioning a 1.62 ERA in a then Pirate record 72 games. Goose struck out eight of 11 Dodgers he faced in a game on May 19, 1977.
Gossage grew up a Yankee and Mickey Mantle fan in his native Colorado Springs. He was captain of the basketball team and a member of the Hall of Fame at Wasson High School, where he played against the Rams' Cullen Bryant. Gossage attended Southern Colorado State College where he majored in forestry. He enjoys hunting, fishing, golf and racquetball.
Goose received the 1980 Good Guy Award from New York Press Photographers. He lists Rod Carew as his toughest individual opponent."

-1981 New York Yankees Media Guide