Gullickson was the second player taken in the June 1977 draft, and his 10-5, 3.00 record in 1980 earned him TSN NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors. He finished second (behind Steve Howe) in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. In 1981 he helped the Expos to their only division title with a 7-9, 2.81 record and beat the Phillies 3-1 in Game Two of the divisional playoff necessitated by the split-season format used after the players’ strike. In the LCS, he lost Games One and Four to the Dodgers when Montreal could muster only one run each game for him. With the exception of the strike season, the consistent Gullickson was in double figures in wins every season from his rookie year on. Acquired by the Reds for 1986, he went 15 12. The Yankees traded Dennis Rasmussen to get Gullickson, in the last year of his contract, for their 1987 pennant drive, but he was unhappy with the atmosphere in the Bronx and accepted a $2 million offer to pitch in Japan the following season. In an April 10, 1982 game, Gullickson tied the modern ML record with six wild pitches.
