Rich Gossage Elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame
By Danielle Sessa
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Rich ``Goose'' Gossage, a nine-time All-Star who led the American League in saves for three seasons, was the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Gossage saved 310 games for eight teams during his 22-year career and helped the New York Yankees win a World Series during a six-year stint with the club. Former Most Valuable Players Jim Rice and Andre Dawson finished second and third in balloting.
The right-hander with a trademark bushy mustache was named on 86 percent of the 543 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, according to an announcement by the Hall of Fame. Candidates must receive 75 percent of the vote to be enshrined into the Cooperstown, New York, hall.
``It was very emotional,'' Gossage said on a conference call with reporters from his home in Colorado. ``It's off the charts, I can't even describe the feeling.''
Boston Red Sox outfielder Rice received 72 percent of the vote, while Dawson, who played with the Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos, got 66 percent. Next year will be Rice's final year on the ballot.
Mark McGwire, whose 583 career home runs are tarnished by suspicions he used steroids, was rejected for the second year. He got 23.6 percent after receiving 23.5 percent last year.
While McGwire has denied using performance-enhancing drugs, he refused under oath in 2005 to answer questions about steroid use to a congressional committee.
To contact the reporter on this story: Danielle Sessa in New York at dsessa@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: January 8, 2008 14:39 EST
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