Memory Checking the Goose
Posted by Chris J. on May 12, 2008
In a new article, Goose Gossage talks about intentionally hitting batters. The article states:
"Gossage, that famous mustache now gray, claims to have hit only three batters intentionally in his major league career: Ron Gant, Al Bumbry and Andres Galarraga.
'They had it coming,' he said."
Perhaps so, but there's one problem. Going by the PI features, Goose Gossage never hit Al Bumbry. He nailed Gant & Galaragga the same summer, but never Bumbry in the majors.
Was he thinking of some other Oriole? Well, he only hit six of them, and the last two occasions came after Bumbry was gone.
One was Mark Belanger. Who hell intentionally hits Mark Belanger. That's going hunting with hope of offing Bambi's mom. Besides, it looks like he had bad control that game, he hit two men (Don Baylor was the other), and let in some runs. He also hit Rick Dempsey, but that was with a one run lead. My best guess is either Doug DeCinces or someone on another team.
DeCinces's plunk came late in a game where he was 2-for-3 with a run, right after Gossage allowed a run, and with New York winning by 7 runs with 2 out in the eighth. Oh, and a week earlier he hit a two-run homer off of Gossage.
Not exactly "deserving it" but then again Ron Gant's big crime was to steal a base and score an insurance run on a single.
It could be someone else, but the best guess is Doug DeCinces.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Maybe he plunked him in spring training?
May 13th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Maybe he intended to plunk Bumbry, but Bumbry got out of the way of the pitch.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I'll go with Billy North on 5/30/76. Gossage hit North leading off the game for the A's and (coincidence?) the White Sox leadoff hitter Pat Kelly was hit leading off the game in the top of the first. Like Bumbry, North was a fast centerfielder who happened to be black, so perhaps Goose has confused them. I couldn't see anything happening in the preceeding game's box score that might have precipitated this, but if he thought Bosman tried to hit Pat Kelly, I can see the Goose getting revenge quickly.