The Best Laid Plans...

By Mike Whiteman November 22, 2024

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On this day in 1977, the Yankees signed former Pirates and White Sox relief pitcher Richard "Goose" Gossage to a free agent contract worth $3.6 million over six years. The Yankees had been wildly successful in the previous year's free agent market, signing Reggie Jackson and Don Gullett, with the end result a 1977 World Series championship. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was itching to spend and keep the trophy in New York, and Gossage was the prize the team eyed early. Steinbrenner called the signing "a very, very important day in Yankee baseball history", and who would have disagreed? Gossage's 1977 season in Pittsburgh was one of the most imposing of all-time out of the bullpen - 11 wins, 1.61 ERA, 26 saves, and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings (which was almost double the average rate then). The Yankees looked set up for great success in their bullpen in 1978. Except they already were in pretty good shape.

Reigning in the Yankee relief corps was lefthander Sparky Lyle, who was coming off a pretty good 1977 of his own, when he took home the American League Cy Young award with a 13-5 record, 2.17 ERA and 26 saves. He was even better in the postseason, with three wins and 1.29 ERA in the ALCS and World Series. Going into 1978, he was the MLB active leader in saves with 201, and on the heels of Hoyt Wilhelm's all-time (at the time) record of 228. It seemed that the last thing they needed was another relief ace. This was a different time than the five-inning starters of today. In 1977 two American League pitchers threw over 300 innings, and four completed 20 or more games. Deep bullpens weren't required as they are today. Lyle tossed 137 innings in 1977, Gossage threw 133 frames. One was probably enough. This was the essence of George Steinbrenner excess. When you hear Yankee fans speak nostalgically of when the Yankees were "all in all the time", it's signings like this that come to mind. All seemed wonderful in the Bronx. Gossage didn't seem concerned about workloads at his signing press conference "We appeared in 144 games between us last year. There are 162 games in a season, so there are some games left over. I have looked at Sparky and admired him. We will have a great bullpen. We will have the best bullpen in baseball." Sparky wasn't so sure. As Spring Training was about to open, he revealed that he asked the Yankees for a trade, concerned that the addition of Gossage and then later Rawly Eastwick of the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds would keep him from getting the regular work that he needed. "I love New York. I intend to live in the New York area the rest of my life, but I think I'd be better off going to some place where I can pitch and I told them so." General Manager Cedric Tallis said that wasn't happening, as the Yankees now had "the greatest bullpen in baseball history. And we're not going to break it up."

Lyle reported to Spring Training four days late, greeted as he left the plane he flew in on by a local high school marching band who also carried a sign "Welcome Sparky Lyle - Finally", creatively arranged by George Steinbrenner. Another thing that surely had the Yankee ace stewing - money. Lyle's contract called for $140,000 annually through 1980, which was less than half of Gossage's. Opening Day came, and when manager Billy Martin went to the bullpen in relief of Ron Guidry in the eighth inning, he called for Gossage. Things didn't go as planned, as Texas walked off to victory when Richie Zisk homered off of the new ace in the ninth. In fact, Gossage took losses in three of the first four outings of his season. Goose found his groove after the early struggles, and had a 1.90 ERA the rest of the season. Lyle started off in an opposite way, and had an ERA under 2.00 going into May. It didn't last, and his ERA peaked at 4.09 in June. Of course, we know that 1978 was the season of the comeback, as the Yankees came from 14 games behind Boston in July to catch them in September, and in Game 163, top the Red Sox in the epic one-game playoff to take the American League East title. Standing on the mound as the Yankees clinched was Gossage, who threw 2.2 innings in relief of Guidry. Lyle did not appear in the playoff. As the season developed, Gossage became the trusted hurler out of the bullpen, and it continued into the postseason, as he tossed ten innings between the American League Championship Series and World Series. Lyle's postseason action in 1978 consisted of one outing in the ALCS against Kansas City. In the end Gossage finished with a 2.01 ERA, 27 saves, and a trip to the All-Star game. Lyle's season was respectful - 3.47 ERA and nine saves. Alas, the Yankees weren't looking for respectful, and after the season he received his wish and was dealt to the Texas Rangers in a trade that brought back the Yanks' future closer - Dave Righetti. Upon the deal, Lyle was given a new contract by Texas worth a million dollars over three seasons, and the promise of a broadcast job after he retired. Looking back, it seems the Yanks made the right move in signing Gossage. He was just devastating in Pinstripes, with a 2.10 ERA and 150 saves from 1978-1983. Lyle bounced from Texas to Philadelphia to the Chicago White Sox the next few years with an ERA of 4.02. After 1977 Sparky was on top of the world, perhaps the best reliever in the game. A couple more solid seasons could have opened the door to serious Hall of Fame consideration. The question is did the deal derail him of the path to a HOF enshrinement? Or was it just the right move at the right time for the Yankees?

Sparky's New York baseball impact didn't end when he was dealt to Texas. In 1998, he was named the manager of the newly formed Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League. He guided the team through 2012, accumulating five league championships. He's a beloved institution at Somerset, and has a title "manager emeritus" which still brings him to the ballpark. In 1978 the Yankees and their fans dreamed of a bullpen for the ages, but were reminded of the lesson that baseball has taught us time and time again: what looks good on paper doesn't always translate to the field.