It was Sain who taught him “the art of off-speed pitching. That pitch, with my power, was exactly what I needed,” Gossage said.

Gossage played for nine teams but his star shone brightest in the six years he spent in Yankee pinstripes.

Gossage signed as a free agent with New York in November 1977 and in his first season in the Bronx had 27 saves and a 2.01 ERA to help lead baseball’s most storied franchise to its second straight World Series triumph.

Williams, known for his no-nonsense approach, credited the late Branch Rickey and former manager Bobby Bragan with having the greatest influence on him as a manager. Williams also spent 13 years as a utility player.

Despite his successes in Boston, Oakland and San Diego, Williams said in his opinion he did his best managing in Montreal, where he won 90-plus games in back-to-back seasons with a young, starless Expos team.

Gossage and Williams, who worked 10 years as a Yankee scout, both gave George Steinbrenner a plug for induction into the hall of fame, saying the Yankees owner had made baseball better everywhere by raising the level of competition.

Others inducted Sunday were former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, former Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss, former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and former manager Billy Southworth, all deceased. Along with Williams, they were voted in by the revamped Veterans Committee.

Also honored were the late Larry Whiteside, a pioneering black journalist, who received the J.G. Taylor Spink Award; and Ford C. Frick Award winner Dave Niehaus.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

Cuban ‘not on prowl’ for Dodgers, or any team Sosa’s skin undergoing color change Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay Damon, Matsui and Pettitte all could return Yankees’ Jeter, Teixeira win Gold Gloves Scully to broadcast in 2010, then decide future Baseball GMs pass on expanding instant replay Martin, Herzog, Murtaugh and Mauch on Hall ballot Free agents Circling the Bases: Blogging on news, rumors, buzz Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: