In 2008 Rich Gossage was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He earned his place in Cooperstown by pioneering the role and persona of the modern day closer. During his 22-year baseball career he pitched for nine different teams, begining his career with the White Sox, establishing his star with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, and holding on with several other clubs including a season in Japan. When he retired he ranked third in major league history in career games pitched (1,002), third in wins in relief (115) and innings pitched in relief (1,556⅔); his 1,502 strikeouts place him second behind Hoyt Wilhelm among pitchers who primarily pitched in relief. Proving once again, baseball is a game of failure, Goose is also the career leader in blown saves (112).
During his Hall of Fame induction speech Goose Gossage said this:
In 1972, I had the privilege of playing with Dick Allen. I didn't know it at the time, but in retrospect, he was the greatest player I ever played with. That's quite a statement because I played with a lot of great ones. He taught me how to pitch from a hitter's perspective. He took me under his wing and we would talk for hours on end about pitching. It was amazing.
I will end my post about Goose Gossage right there.
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