CALGARY – Former Major League Baseball pitcher Richard 'Goose' Gossage is set to lend a helping hand to the Dinos baseball and fastball clubs.

Gossage, whose career spanned 22 seasons and nine major league teams from 1972-94, will be the keynote speaker at the Dinos' annual fundraising dinner at the Red and White Club, McMahon Stadium on Thursday, Jan. 31. Proceeds from the event support the Dinos men's baseball and women's fastball clubs.

Best known for his years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, Gossage was one of the top relievers in baseball throughout the 1970s and 80s. A nine-time all-star, he pitched in 1,002 games, recording 1,502 strikeouts and 310 saves. He led the American League in saves three times thanks to one of the hardest-thrown fastballs of all time, and he recorded 20 or more saves on 10 occasions. He became just the second player in history to record 300 saves, and he retired among the top five all-time leaders in games pitched, relief innings, and relief strikeouts.

His career also included stops with both Chicago teams, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Texas, and Oakland. After retiring as a Seattle Mariner in 1994, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Gossage joins an impressive list of former speakers at the Dinos dinner, including Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Abbott, Bill Buckner, Ken Griffey Sr., and Tim Raines.

Tickets for the event are available for $175 each, with tables of eight also available. To purchase tickets, please call Kinesiology Client Services at (403) 220-7749.

For more information on the event and the Dinos baseball club, please contact Mike Boyles at (403) 220-4413.

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