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"&lt;p&gt;\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NEW YORK (AP)  On a day when dozens of Yankees greats were back on the field in pinstripes, Goose Gossage was overwhelmed to be the center of attention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Hall of Fame reliever with the blazing fastball and bushy mustache was honored by the team on Old-Timers' Day with a plaque to be put in Monument Park.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''This is the greatest day I've ever had,'' he told the sellout crowd of 47,493 at Yankee Stadium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joined on the field by his family and old-timers from Yogi Berra to Bucky Dent, Gossage unveiled his plaque at home plate and grabbed the microphone Sunday to chants of ''Goooose'' before New York hosted the Baltimore Orioles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''I played for nine different teams, and putting on the pinstripes was like the closest thing to an out-of-body experience I've ever had,'' Gossage said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''Outside of the day my kids were born and going into Cooperstown, it doesn't get any better than this. It's awesome,'' he added later. ''Just an amazing day. I can't even put into words what it means.''&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gossage pitched for the Yankees from 1978-83, helping them to a World Series title during his first season in pinstripes. He returned for 11 games in 1989.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back in his day, closers routinely pitched multiple innings - and Gossage was no different. He went 42-28 with a 2.14 ERA and 151 saves for the Yankees, leaving him third on the club's career list behind Mariano Rivera (652) and Dave Righetti (224).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''What he did in his era was just incredible,'' former New York pitcher David Wells said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After spending so much time in the bullpen at the previous Yankee Stadium, just a few steps from Monument Park, Gossage said he never could have imagined having his own plaque out there with all the others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The inscription on his marker begins by calling Gossage ''one of the most intimidating pitchers ever to don pinstripes.''&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It becomes the 28th plaque grouped behind the center-field fence, where seven monuments commemorate such all-time greats as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, along with late owner George Steinbrenner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tribute came one day after the Yankees presented Tino Martinez with a Monument Park plaque in a similar celebration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gossage tipped his cap to the crowd, and a video montage of his Yankees highlights preceded his speech. Diana Munson, the widow of former batterymate Thurman Munson, gave the pitcher a framed replica of his plaque, and the team presented him with a flashy No. 54 ring outlined in diamonds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''I can't tell you what it means to me and my family,'' said Gossage, recalling that Old-Timers' Day was always his favorite day of the year during his Yankees tenure. ''I don't even really know what to say. It's totally overwhelming to me.''&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the ceremony was over, the old-timers took the field for a four-inning game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ron Guidry was on the mound, Rickey Henderson led off with a double and Mickey Rivers made a smooth catch in right-center to rob Martinez of extra bases.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jesse Barfield homered into the left-field corner off David Cone, who trotted from first to third right alongside the ex-slugger.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;''I always wanted to run the bases,'' Cone said. ''The only way I could do it was to piggyback off Jesse.''&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui each made their first appearance at Old-Timers' Day, both drawing a big hand. Matsui came in from left field to pitch to Reggie Jackson in a made-for-Hollywood matchup of Godzilla vs. Mr. October.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Berra and fellow Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, both in their 80s, waved from a golf cart and received standing ovations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later on, still wearing his full uniform, Gossage threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Yankees played the Orioles.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/06/22/ap-bba-yankees-old-timers-day>