Gossage became upset with Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner for meddling with the team. In 1982, he called Steinbrenner "the fat man upstairs", and disapproved of the way Yankees' manager Billy Martin used him. Gossage became a free agent after the 1983 season, and insisted that he would not resign with New York. He signed with the San Diego Padres. In 1984, Gossage clinched another title, earning the save in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series and sending the Padres to their first World Series; after San Diego had scored four runs in the seventh inning to take a 6–3 lead against the Chicago Cubs, Gossage pitched the final two innings, getting Jody Davis to hit into a force play for the final out. During game 5 of the 1984 World Series versus the Detroit Tigers, Gossage, after receiving signs from the coaches on the Padres bench and a visit to the mound by Padres manager Dick Williams, refused to intentionally walk right fielder Kirk Gibson. On the second pitch Gossage and the Padres would regret that decision as Gibson homered to deep right field leading to a World Series win for the Detroit Tigers. On August 17, , Gossage struck out Pete Rose in Rose's final major-league at bat.