Brian Downing vs Rich Gossage: Career Stats Comparison
Brian Downing (1973–1992) and Rich Gossage (1972–1994) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Brian Downing finished with 2,099 hits and 275 home runs; Rich Gossage finished with 9 hits and 0 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Brian Downing
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Brian Downing and Rich Gossage. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Brian Downing | Rich Gossage |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,344 | 1,003 |
| At-Bats | 7,853 | 85 |
| Runs | 1,188 | 1 |
| Hits | 2,099 | 9 |
| Doubles | 360 | 1 |
| Triples | 28 | 0 |
| Home Runs | 275 | 0 |
| RBI | 1,073 | 2 |
| Walks | 1,197 | 4 |
| Strikeouts | 1,127 | 37 |
| Stolen Bases | 50 | 0 |
| Batting Avg | .267 | .106 |
| On-Base % | .370 | .146 |
| Slugging % | .425 | .118 |
| OPS | .796 | .264 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Brian Downing totals 22,792 versus Rich Gossage's 0.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Brian Downing — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rich Gossage — top 0 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Brian Downing leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Rich Gossage owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Brian Downing. PIV agrees: Brian Downing grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.