What years did Rich Gossage play?

Rich Gossage played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1994.

Was Rich Gossage a pitcher?

Yes. Rich Gossage pitched in the major leagues, recording 124 wins and 1502 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Rich Gossage hit?

Rich Gossage hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.

What teams did Rich Gossage play for?

Rich Gossage played for 9 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1972–1976), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977), the New York Yankees (1978–1983, 1989), the San Diego Padres (1984–1987), the Chicago Cubs (1988), the San Francisco Giants (1989), the Texas Rangers (1991), the Oakland Athletics (1992–1993), and the Seattle Mariners (1994).

Did Rich Gossage win a Cy Young Award?

No. Rich Gossage did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Rich Gossage win?

Rich Gossage was selected to 9 All-Star Games.

What were Rich Gossage's career stats?

In 1,002 games, Rich Gossage went 124-107 with a 3.01 ERA, 1,502 strikeouts, 1,809.1 innings pitched, and 310 saves.

What was Rich Gossage's salary?

Rich Gossage's last recorded salary was $325,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $1,713,333, in 1985, and his lowest was $68,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1993.

What position did Rich Gossage play?

Rich Gossage played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Rich Gossage and how much did he weigh?

Rich Gossage was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds.

What was Rich Gossage's career ERA?

Rich Gossage finished with a 3.01 career ERA, going 124-107 with 1,502 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Rich Gossage have?

Rich Gossage recorded 1,502 career strikeouts.

Rich Gossage

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1972-1994)

Rich Gossage was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1994 for 9 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 23 seasons. Across 1,002 career appearances, he went 124-107 with a 3.01 ERA, 1,502 strikeouts, and 310 saves. Rich Gossage was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 and was a 9-time All-Star and a Reliever of the Year. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 28157.0.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 17, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 2008

W–L 124–107

ERA 3.01

WHIP 1.23

SO 1,502

Pitcher PIV 28157.0

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 180 lb
Born: 7/5/1951 in Colorado Springs, CO, USA
MLB Debut: 1972-04-16
Last Game: 1994-08-08
Hall of Fame: Inducted 2008 (BBWAA)
Awards: 9× All-Star · Reliever of the Year

Full name: Richard Michael Gossage

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rich Gossage — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
124	107	1,002	37	16	0	310	1809.1	1,497	605	119	732	1,502	3.01	28157.0

Career ERA 3.01 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — 21.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rich Gossage Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1972	CHA	AL	7	1	36	1	0	2	80.0	72	38	44	57	4.28	3.26 (-31%)	335.4
1973	CHA	AL	0	4	20	4	1	0	49.2	57	41	37	33	7.43	3.75 (-98%)	-2809.4
1974	CHA	AL	4	6	39	3	0	1	89.1	92	41	47	64	4.13	3.63 (-14%)	578.4
1975	CHA	AL	9	8	62	0	0	26	141.2	99	29	70	130	1.84	3.71 (+50%)	3992.5
1976	CHA	AL	9	17	31	29	15	1	224.0	214	98	90	135	3.94	3.51 (-12%)	-938.1
1977	PIT	NL	11	9	72	0	0	26	133.0	78	24	49	151	1.62	4.00 (+59%)	5127.7
1978	NYA	AL	10	11	63	0	0	27	134.1	87	30	59	122	2.01	3.69 (+45%)	2364.9
1979	NYA	AL	5	3	36	0	0	18	58.1	48	17	19	41	2.62	4.00 (+34%)	862.1
1980	NYA	AL	6	2	64	0	0	33	99.0	74	25	37	103	2.27	3.84 (+41%)	3440.1
1981	NYA	AL	3	2	32	0	0	20	46.2	22	4	14	48	0.77	3.58 (+78%)	1789.2
1982	NYA	AL	4	5	56	0	0	30	93.0	63	23	28	102	2.23	3.86 (+42%)	4117.6
1983	NYA	AL	13	5	57	0	0	22	87.1	82	22	25	90	2.27	3.87 (+41%)	3424.9
1984	SDN	NL	10	6	62	0	0	25	102.1	75	33	36	84	2.90	3.81 (+24%)	2187.9
1985	SDN	NL	5	3	50	0	0	26	79.0	64	16	17	52	1.82	3.89 (+53%)	3366.9
1986	SDN	NL	5	7	45	0	0	21	64.2	69	32	20	63	4.45	3.97 (-12%)	853.6
1987	SDN	NL	5	4	40	0	0	11	52.0	47	18	19	44	3.12	4.29 (+27%)	1338.4
1988	CHN	NL	4	4	46	0	0	13	43.2	50	21	15	30	4.33	3.73 (-16%)	230.1
1989	SFN	NL	2	1	31	0	0	4	43.2	32	13	27	24	2.68	3.71 (+28%)	-440.7
1989	NYA	AL	1	0	11	0	0	1	14.1	14	6	3	6	3.77	3.71 (-2%)	340.5
1991	TEX	AL	4	2	44	0	0	1	40.1	33	16	16	28	3.57	3.91 (+9%)	-260.7
1992	OAK	AL	0	2	30	0	0	0	38.0	32	12	19	26	2.84	3.75 (+24%)	-985.8
1993	OAK	AL	4	5	39	0	0	1	47.2	49	24	26	40	4.53	4.19 (-8%)	-542.3
1994	SEA	AL	3	0	36	0	0	1	47.1	44	22	15	29	4.18	4.51 (+7%)	-216.3
Career · 23 seasons			124	107	1,002	37	16	310	1,809.1	1,497	605	732	1,502	3.01	—	28,157

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Rich Gossage — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1,003	85	1	9	1	0	0	2	0	4	37	.106	.146	.118	.264	0

Career AVG .106 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 59.1% below league average.

Career OBP .146 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 55.0% below league average.

Career SLG .118 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 69.5% below league average.

Career OPS .264 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 62.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rich Gossage Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1972	CHA	AL	36	16	0	0	0	0	0	11	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1973	CHA	AL	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	CHA	AL	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	CHA	AL	62	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	CHA	AL	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	PIT	NL	72	23	0	5	1	2	1	8	.217	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	NYA	AL	63	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	NYA	AL	36	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	NYA	AL	64	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	NYA	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	NYA	AL	56	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	NYA	AL	57	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	SDN	NL	62	22	0	4	0	0	1	8	.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	SDN	NL	50	11	1	0	0	0	2	5	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	SDN	NL	45	7	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	SDN	NL	40	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	CHN	NL	46	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	SFN	NL	31	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	NYA	AL	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	TEX	AL	44	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	OAK	AL	30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	OAK	AL	39	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	SEA	AL	36	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 23 seasons			1,003	85	1	9	1	2	4	37	.106	—	—	—	—	0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Rich Gossage — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
19	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Rich Gossage — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1984	NLCS	SDN	3	0	0	.000
1984	WS	SDN	2	0	0	.000
1981	AEDIV	NYA	3	0	0	.000
1981	ALCS	NYA	2	0	0	.000
1981	WS	NYA	3	1	1	.000
1980	ALCS	NYA	1	0	0	.000
1978	ALCS	NYA	2	0	0	.000
1978	WS	NYA	3	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Rich Gossage — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	1	19	0	8	31.1	21	10	7	29	2.87

Playoff Pitching by Year

Rich Gossage — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1984	NLCS	SDN	0	0	3	1	4.0	5	2	1	5	4.50
1984	WS	SDN	0	0	2	0	2.2	3	4	1	2	13.50
1981	AEDIV	NYA	0	0	3	3	6.2	3	0	2	8	0.00
1981	ALCS	NYA	0	0	2	1	2.2	1	0	0	2	0.00
1981	WS	NYA	0	0	3	2	5.0	2	0	2	5	0.00
1980	ALCS	NYA	0	1	1	0	0.1	3	2	0	0	54.00
1978	ALCS	NYA	1	0	2	1	4.0	3	2	0	3	4.50
1978	WS	NYA	1	0	3	0	6.0	1	0	1	4	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (2003 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Rich Gossage — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	490	34	0	2	0	0	.059
Away	512	51	1	7	0	2	.137

Pitching — Home / Away

Rich Gossage — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	490	875.0	715	271	314	740	2.79
Away	511	931.2	777	332	417	760	3.21

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rich Gossage — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
1994-08-08	SEA	TEX	SV	3.0	0	0	0	0	1
1994-08-06	SEA	KCR	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
1994-08-04	SEA	LAA	W	0.1	0	0	0	0	0
1994-07-31	SEA	CHW	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	0
1994-07-29	SEA	CHW	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	0
1994-07-24	SEA	BOS	—	0.1	1	0	0	0	0
1994-07-23	SEA	BOS	—	1.0	0	0	0	1	0
1994-07-18	SEA	BAL	—	1.2	1	0	0	0	1
1994-07-17	SEA	NYY	—	0.1	2	1	1	0	1
1994-07-14	SEA	NYY	—	0.2	2	2	2	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rich Gossage — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	1002	37	78	180	21	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rich Gossage — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1972	CHA	P	36	1	3	10	1	1
1973	CHA	P	20	4	5	5	1	0
1974	CHA	P	39	3	3	14	2	1
1975	CHA	P	62	0	3	25	3	3
1976	CHA	P	31	29	18	27	3	1
1977	PIT	P	72	0	4	10	1	0
1978	NYA	P	63	0	6	12	3	0
1979	NYA	P	36	0	1	4	0	0
1980	NYA	P	64	0	1	10	2	0
1981	NYA	P	32	0	2	7	1	1
1982	NYA	P	56	0	2	6	0	1
1983	NYA	P	57	0	2	3	1	0
1984	SDN	P	62	0	5	8	0	0
1985	SDN	P	50	0	0	7	0	1
1986	SDN	P	45	0	2	5	0	0
1987	SDN	P	40	0	2	5	0	0
1988	CHN	P	46	0	1	7	0	0
1989	SFN	P	31	0	5	3	1	0
1989	NYA	P	11	0	2	1	0	1
1991	TEX	P	44	0	2	2	1	0
1992	OAK	P	30	0	2	4	0	0
1993	OAK	P	39	0	5	3	1	0
1994	SEA	P	36	0	2	2	0	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rich Gossage Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	1002
Designated Hitter	1

Awards & Honors

Rich Gossage — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1979	Pitcher of the Month	September
1978	Player of the Week	Week of 1978-09-01
1978	Reliever of the Year Award
1978	TSN Fireman of the Year
1975	TSN Fireman of the Year

Salary History

Rich Gossage's recorded salaries total $6,058,530 over 7 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Gossage's career ran from 1972 to 1994. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991 and 1994.

Rich Gossage — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1993	OAK	AL	$325,000
1992	OAK	AL	$300,000
1989	SFN	NL	$68,000
1988	CHN	NL	$1,331,532
1987	SDN	NL	$1,273,904
1986	SDN	NL	$1,046,761
1985	SDN	NL	$1,713,333
Total recorded salary (partial)			$6,058,530

Award Voting History

Rich Gossage — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1984	Cy Young Award	NL	5th	3.0	120	0
1984	Most Valuable Player	NL	13th	34.0	336	0
1981	Cy Young Award	AL	5th	3.0	140	0
1981	Most Valuable Player	AL	9th	62.0	392	0
1980	Cy Young Award	AL	3rd	37.0	140	2
1980	Most Valuable Player	AL	3rd	218.0	392	4
1978	Cy Young Award	AL	5th	4.0	140	0
1978	Most Valuable Player	AL	13th	39.0	392	0
1975	Cy Young Award	AL	6th	2.0	120	0
1975	Most Valuable Player	AL	17th	11.0	336	0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Rich Gossage (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Rich Gossage

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Rich Gossage: the record in brief

According to the bio, Rich Gossage debuted on April 16, 1972 and played a final game on August 8, 1994. Gossage played for the Chicago White Sox (1972 through 1976), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977), the New York Yankees (1978 to 1989), the San Diego Padres (1984 to 1987), the Chicago Cubs (1988), the San Francisco Giants (1989), the Texas Rangers (1991), and the Oakland Athletics (1992 to 1993), with further stops in the season rows. Gossage played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on July 5, 1951, in Colorado Springs, CO, USA, Gossage was listed at 6'3" and 180 pounds. Gossage's full given name, per the bio, is Richard Michael Gossage.

Gossage pitched in 1,002 games, starting 37, and finished with a 124-107 record and 3.01 ERA. Also on Gossage's record: 1,502 strikeouts, 16 complete games, and 310 saves. That 3.01 ERA compares with a 3.84 league average across the same seasons, 21.7% better. 1983 brought Gossage a season-high 13 wins.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Gossage

What years did Rich Gossage play?: Rich Gossage played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1994.
Was Rich Gossage a pitcher?: Yes. Rich Gossage pitched in the major leagues, recording 124 wins and 1502 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rich Gossage hit?: Rich Gossage hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
Is Rich Gossage in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Rich Gossage was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
What teams did Rich Gossage play for?: Rich Gossage played for 9 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1972–1976), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977), the New York Yankees (1978–1983, 1989), the San Diego Padres (1984–1987), the Chicago Cubs (1988), the San Francisco Giants (1989), the Texas Rangers (1991), the Oakland Athletics (1992–1993), and the Seattle Mariners (1994).
Did Rich Gossage win a Cy Young Award?: No. Rich Gossage did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Rich Gossage win?: Rich Gossage was selected to 9 All-Star Games.
What were Rich Gossage's career stats?: In 1,002 games, Rich Gossage went 124-107 with a 3.01 ERA, 1,502 strikeouts, 1,809.1 innings pitched, and 310 saves.
How much did Rich Gossage earn in his career?: Rich Gossage's recorded salaries total $6,058,530 over 7 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Gossage's career ran from 1972 to 1994. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991 and 1994.
What was Rich Gossage's salary?: Rich Gossage's last recorded salary was $325,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $1,713,333, in 1985, and his lowest was $68,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1993.
What position did Rich Gossage play?: Rich Gossage played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rich Gossage and how much did he weigh?: Rich Gossage was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Rich Gossage's career ERA?: Rich Gossage finished with a 3.01 career ERA, going 124-107 with 1,502 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rich Gossage have?: Rich Gossage recorded 1,502 career strikeouts.