'Goose' Gossage elected to Hall of Fame

NEW YORK: Fireballing reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage won election to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Gossage, who pitched in three World Series for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, picked up 85.8 percent of the 543 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Gossage, who last year missed election by 21 votes, will be inducted at ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York, on July 27.

No other player received the 75 percent required to win election. Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice missed by 14 votes.

Gossage began his Major League career with the Chicago White Sox and posted a 9-17 record as a starter in 1976 before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates and thriving in the bullpen.

The beefy right-hander, an intimidating figure with his droopy mustache and blazing fastball, came to New York the next season and helped the Yanks win the 1978 World Series and reach another Fall Classic in 1981.

Gossage was so effective when he arrived in the Bronx that he took over closing duties from award-winning reliever Sparky Lyle, who quipped he had gone from "Cy Young to Sayonara".

After six years in New York, Gossage moved to San Diego in 1984 and closed for the first Padres team to reach the World Series.

A nine-time All-Star, Gossage had a career 124-107 mark and saved 310 games in 22 seasons.

He will be enshrined along with his former San Diego manager Dick Williams, elected last year by the Veterans Committee.

Rice, an eight-time All-Star and 1978 American League MVP, will have one more chance at election by the writers because next year will be his 15th and last year on the ballot.

His chances appear good with premiere leadoff man and base-stealer Rickey Henderson the only first-time candidate headed for election.

Andre Dawson, an outfielder who starred for the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs, gained almost 10 percent to 65.9 percent to finish third in the voting ahead of curveballing right-hander Bert Blyleven.

Mark McGwire, the first top player tainted by the steroids era to face the voting, finished at 23.6 percent, almost the exact total he had last year, despite hitting 70 homers to smash the single-season mark in 1998.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/10/2008 page22)