Intimidating Reliever Gains Election In Ninth Year On Ballot

According to the recently released Baseball Writers' Association of America article, Rich "Goose" Gossage, who tormented batters as one of the game's most intimidating relief pitchers over a 22-season career, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in balloting verified by Ernst & Young. He will be inducted into the Hall July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Gossage will be honored along with one of his former managers, Dick Williams, who was elected last month by the Veterans Committee. Former owners Walter O'Malley and Barney Dreyfuss, former commissioner Bowie Kuhn and former manager Billy Southworth, all deceased, will also be enshrined at the ceremony that will include the presentation of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing to the late Larry Whiteside. The Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting will be announced on Feb. 19. In the BBWAA election, 543 ballots, including three blanks, were cast by members with 10 or more consecutive years' service. Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots submitted to be elected. This year, 408 votes were required.

Gossage was listed on 466 ballots (85.8%) to win election in his ninth year on the ballot, a gain of 14.6 percent over his percentage in 2007 when he finished 21 votes shy of the necessary 75 percent. His election brings to 286 the number of elected members of the Hall. Of that total, 199 are former Major League players, of which 106 have been through the BBWAA ballot. Gossage is the 61st pitcher overall elected to the Hall and the fifth reliever, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter.

Gossage, 56, compiled a 124-107 record with a 3.01 earned run average and 310 saves in 1,002 games for nine clubs with his best seasons coming with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The hard-throwing righthander led the American League in saves three times, twice won the Sporting News' AL Fireman of the Year Award and was selected to nine All-Star teams.
The closer on the Yankees' 1978 World Series championship club, Gossage also pitched in the 1981 World Series for the Yankees and the 1984 World Series for the Padres. He had a 2.63 ERA and two saves in 13 2/3 World Series innings. Primarily a closer in his career, Gossage did make 37 starts during his first five seasons with the White Sox and had 16 complete games.

To see a complete list of those to be inducted, check out the original article here. Find out your baseball card's value by adding it into our “What's My Item Worth” Collection, and organize and show off your authentic sports memorabilia using a collection of your own.