Playing career Gott was born in
Hollywood, California. He graduated from
San Marino High School in
San Marino, California, in 1977. In baseball, he was named his league's
most valuable player that year. He committed to attend
Brigham Young University (BYU) on a
college football scholarship as a
linebacker, and was also recruited for the school's baseball team. He signed with the Cardinals for a $18,500 ($ in current dollar terms)
signing bonus, 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. 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 in May 1982. Gott's first major league win was a 6–0 decision over the
Baltimore Orioles 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). In January 1985, the Blue Jays traded Gott along with two minor league players to the
San Francisco Giants for
Gary Lavelle. On May 12, 1985, Gott hit two home runs against the
St. Louis Cardinals. The
Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Gott off of
waivers in 1987. He was also 7th in the National League in games played (67). 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). Gott served in that role through 2017. On November 17, 2017, the
Philadelphia Phillies 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. Gott was named pitching coach for the
AZL Athletics for the 2024 season. In 2025, Gott was named pitching coach of the
Stockton Ports the Single-A affiliate of the
Athletics. ==Personal life==