Goose Gossage played 21 seasons in the Major for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, before retiring in 1994. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Gossage was one of the earliest manifestations of the dominating closer, with wild facial hair and a gruff demeanor to go along with his blistering fastball.
During his career, Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and earned 310 saves. He made nine All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series. He led the American League in saves in 1975 (26), 1978 (27) and 1980 (33). He holds the New York Yankees career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59). 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. Gossage was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Gossage lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife Corna, and 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 competition. He wrote an autobiography, released in 2000, entitled The Goose is Loose.
