The Decision

By Mike Whiteman November 14, 2025 The 1980s are often deemed a lost era by Yankee fans. It was their first decade without a World Series championship since the 1910s. Seemingly wasted was the peak of icon Don Mattingly, who from 1984-1989 was an American League Most Valuable Player, batting champion, five time Gold Glover, and six-time All-Star. Things didn't start out that badly at all. The Yanks won the 1980 AL East title after a 103-win season, then took home the AL pennant in 1981. Both seasons ended in postseason disappointment with losses to longtime rivals Kansas City (1980) in the ALCS and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series. Coming off the successful late 1970s, Yankee fans still felt like October baseball was entitled to them. They soon learned otherwise. Poor play and poor decision making by George Steinbrenner doomed the 1982 season from the beginning. The team bounced back with a 91-win season in 1983, but hit rock bottom when they started out of the gates slowly 1984, falling as many as 20 games behind the Detroit Tigers in June. From the ashes of the disaster came hope. Fueled by young star Mattingly, the Yanks had the best second half record in baseball in 1984. The new 1-2 punch of Mattingly and Dave Winfield was primed to punish opposing pitching staffs and bring a new era of success to Yankee Stadium.

It didn't quite work out that way. From 1985-1988, the Yankees averaged 90 wins per season, but never reached the postseason. The high water point in 1985 when they won 97 games, but finished two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. From 1986-1988, the team followed a consistent script - fast starts and summer "swoons" (Aaron Boone really didn't invent the swoon), that left them on the outside looking in on the playoffs. During these years, the Yanks finished on average six games out of first place. Each season found the Yankees battling for first place into at least June, then melting as the summer dragged on. Overall, the Yankees played .585 ball in the first halves, .495 in the second. Credit to George Steinbrenner and the front office, they brought in reinforcements - Rickey Henderson and Jack Clark were stars brought in these years during their prime. Unfortunately, they ran out pitching staffs of misfits and past-their-prime hurlers like Phil Niekro, Joe Niekro, Rick Rhoden, Tommy John, Charles Hudson, Richard Dotson, Ed Whitson, and John Candelaria. It was roundly acknowledged that that the Yankee failures were pretty directly linked to the ragtag pitching they ran out there. What the team needed was a young stud pitcher to team with Ron Guidry at the top of the rotation and eventually take over as ace. This type of pitcher was hard to find, and generally unavailable for acquisition from other teams. Except the Yankees already had this pitcher. In their bullpen. Dave Righetti was a hard throwing left-hander acquired from the Texas Rangers after the 1978 season, a rare deal in which the Yankees dealt established talent (1977 Cy Young award winner Sparky Lyle) for primarily young players. The nineteen-year old was the key to the deal, and was deemed "the next Guidry", big expectations as the Yankee ace was coming off one of the best seasons ever - 25-3, 1.74. Unlike many hyped phenoms, Righetti didn't disappoint. He moved quickly through AA and AAA in 1979, making his Yankee debut at the age of 20. After a poor 1980 in Columbus (AAA), he came roaring back in 1981, taking the AL Rookie of the Year award and was 3-0, 2.12 in the postseason. All in his age 22 season. Righetti had a bit of a sophomore slump in 1982, regressing to an 11-10, 3.79 season that even included a short demotion back to the minors. All seemed right in 1983 when he was 14-8, 3.44 and his iconic July 4th no-hitter against Boston. I still get chills when I see the footage of Rags striking out Wade Boggs, perhaps the hardest player in baseball to strike out, to end the game.

The Yanks looked primed to return to the promised land behind the great lefthanded duo of Righetti and Guidry (21-9, 3.42 ERA in 1983). Life can provide interesting twists an turns and the young lefty's career was forever changed when in late December 1983 ace reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage, a free agent at the time announced he was not interested in re-signing with the Yankees. "I have today in San Diego personally informed (coaches) Jeff Torborg and Gene Michael of the New York Yankees that I will not return to play for (owner) George Steinbrenner and I have told my close friend and advisor, Jerry Kapstein, that I have no interest in having Jerry receive any contract offer from George Steinbrenner", Gossage stated. Gossage's departure was a crushing loss. Not only was he among the best relievers ever (2.10 ERA, 150 saves over six season), he had that unmeasurable intimidation factor. How does a team replace an irreplaceable player? The Yanks engaged in conversations about trades for closers Bruce Sutter, Jeff Reardon, and Ron Davis, but couldn't connect on a deal. Seattle moved their closer, Bill Caudill, in the 1983 offseason to Oakland, not New York. Pittsburgh relief ace Kent Tekulve, coming off a 1.64, 18 save season was a free agent that winter, but re-signed with the Pirates. Not only did the Yankees fail in their quest for a new closer, they curiously traded their second best 1983 reliever, George Frazier, to Cleveland for third baseman Toby Harrah. Curious especially as the incumbent third baseman was Graig Nettles, who was coming off a solid 1983 season. Instead of going outside the organization for this key part of the team, the Yankee brain trust decided to take their future ace and move him to the bullpen, an unheard of decision at that time. Relivers had significant value, but starters still ruled. Steinbrenner cited Righetti's first two innings of games he started in 1983 when he had a 1.90 ERA, and the rest of the game 4.06 as a rationale for the move. The lefty's first reaction wasn't positive - "It seems kind of strange to me. I don't know why they would want to take a potential 15 to 20 game winner who has never been a relief pitcher and make him a relief pitcher. I'm not too excited about the idea. If they are going to do it, fine. I'll go along with it." Replacing Righetti in the rotation was 45 year old Phil Niekro, released by the Atlanta Braves. Interestingly, Niekro was the ace of the 1984 Yankees, finding the fountain of youth in a 16-8, 3.09 season in which he was selected as an American League All-Star. Righetti's first season out of the pen was just fine - 2.31 ERA and 31 saves. The heartbreak of the 1985 season couldn't be pinned on Righetti - he had a 2.78 ERA and 29 saves out of the pen. The primary rotation pieces outside of Guidry - Phil Niekro, Cowley, and Whitson - went 38-26, 4.28 as a group. As Yankee starting pitching sputtered through the 1980s, Righetti continued to establish himself as an excellent closer, making the AL All-Star teams in 1986 and 1987, setting a single season record for saves with 46 in 1986 and finishing fourth in Cy Young voting.

From 1985-1988, Righetti had a 3.03 ERA over 396 innings, saving 131 games. One could say the Yanks decision to make Righetti the closer was a good one, as he excelled in the role. Or was it a good decision? Even today I dream a little bit about those 1985-1988 teams, and what adding a 30+ start pitcher with a 3.00 ERA would have done. I have to ask the question - would it have been better to add a closer and keep Rags in the rotation? Perhaps the club should have listened to their young star when he discussed the proposed change - "It seems to me we have other guys who can do the job in the bullpen." I'll always wonder what would have happened if the Yankees found other guys to close games, and if Righetti would have attained stardom as a starter.