James William Gott (born August 3, 1959) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. Gott pitched in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for 14 years for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

, from 1982 to 1995. He was the bullpen coach for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

from 2018 through 2020.

Career

Playing career

Gott was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Picture ...

. He graduated from San Marino High School in San Marino, California, in 1977. In baseball, he was named his league's

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

that year. He committed to attend

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

(BYU) on a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

scholarship as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, and was also recruited for the school's baseball team. The

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

selected Gott in the fourth round of the

1977 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The White Sox surprised some when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill ...

. He signed with the Cardinals for a $18,500 ($ in current dollar terms)

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, rather than follow through with his commitment to attend BYU. He began his professional career with the Calgary Cardinals of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Gott was the first pick in the Rule 5 draft by the

in December 1981. In his minor league career, he was 28-42 with one save and a 4.71 ERA, in 626.2 innings over 131 games (104 of which were starts). He made his major league debut in 1982. Gott's first major league win was against Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in May 1982. Gott's first major league win was a 6–0 decision over the

at Memorial Stadium on May 30, 1982 which was also the start of Cal Ripken Jr.'s MLB-record consecutive games played streak. In 1983, he was fifth in the American League in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (6.164).Jim Gott Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> In January 1985, the Blue Jays traded Gott along with two minor league players to the

for

Gary Lavelle Gary Robert Lavelle (born January 3, 1949) is a retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1987. Career Lavelle grew up in Pennsylvania, where he attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ...

. On May 12, 1985, Gott hit two home runs against the

. The

claimed Gott off of waivers in 1987. In 1988, Gott broke

Kent Tekulve Kenton Charles Tekulve ( ; born March 5, 1947), nicknamed "Teke", is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played f ...

's franchise single-season save record of 32 saves, ending the season with 34 saves (2nd in the NL). He was also 7th in the National League in games played (67). He had elbow surgery in May 1989, and missed most of the 1989 season. The

signed Gott as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

after the 1989 season for $300,000 ($ in current dollar terms). Gott was a setup pitcher and closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1990 to 1994. In 1993, he was 9th in the National League in saves (25). In his 14-year major league career, Gott was 56-74 with 91 saves and a 3.87 ERA in 1,120 innings over 554 games (96 of which were starts).

Radio hosting career

After retiring as an active player, Gott co-hosted ''Dodger Talk'', a pre- and post-game radio show for the Dodgers for three years.

Coaching career

In 2010, the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

hired Gott as their

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the Arizona League Angels of the Rookie-level

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

. On November 9, 2012, Gott was promoted to the Angels' minor league pitching coordinator. Gott served in that role through 2017. On November 17, 2017, the

named Gott their bullpen coach for the 2018 season. He remained with the club through the 2020 season, after which time his contract was not renewed.

Personal life

Gott's brother, Erich, attended BYU on a scholarship for golf. He resides in San Marino, California. He has six children, two of whom have

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. Gott taught

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...

to pitch for his portrayal of

Jim Morris James Samuel Morris Jr. (born January 19, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Although brief, Morris' career is noted for making hi ...

in the 2002 film '' The Rookie''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gott, Jim 1959 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arkansas Travelers players Bakersfield Dodgers players Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Brigham Young University alumni BYU Cougars baseball players BYU Cougars football players Calgary Cardinals players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Gastonia Cardinals players Los Angeles Dodgers Legend Bureau Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches People from Hollywood, Los Angeles People from San Marino, California Philadelphia Phillies coaches Phoenix Firebirds players Pittsburgh Pirates players San Francisco Giants players St. Petersburg Cardinals players Toronto Blue Jays players