Jerry Koosman
Jerry Koosman was on the mound for the final out of the 1969 World Series, having won both of his starts to help the New York Mets to their improbable championship. He was an excellent pitcher in the post-season, posting a perfect 4-0 record with 31 K's in 40 1/3 innings. Koosman was the left-handed compliment to righty Tom Seaver on the Mets for more than a decade. He retired with 222 wins and more than 2,500 strikeouts.
Played For
New York Mets (1967-1978)
Minnesota Twins (1979-1981)
Chicago White Sox (1981-1983)
Philadelphia Phillies (1984-1985)
Best Season: 1969
Koosman won 17 games during the regular season, when he fashioned a 2.28 ERA, which ranked fifth in the circuit. In the post-season, the lefty won Game Two of the LCS against the Braves, took Game Two of the World Series, and was on the mound for the final out of the Series in Game Five.
Factoids
On the final day of the 1979 season, Koosman shut out the Milwauke Brewers, 5-0 for his 20th win. The shut out was the Brewers only one of the entire season, preventing them from joining the 1932 Yankees as the onlt teams to not be whitewashed during a season.
Born
Jerome Martin Koosman was born on December 23, 1942, in Appleton, MN.
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: NYN
Major League Debut
April 14, 1967
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1967
Reggie Jackson
Graig Nettles
Rod Carew
Johnny Bench
Tom Seaver
Jerry Koosman
Amos Otis
Sparky Lyle
Aurelio Rodriguez
Nicknames
Kooz
Uniform Numbers
#36 (1967-1983), #37 (1984), #24 (1984-1985)
Similar Players
Mickey Lolich, Jerry Reuss
Related Players
Tom Seaver and Jon Matlack, who were in the Met rotation with Koosman, from 1972-1977... Jesse Orosco, for whom he was traded to the Twins... Randy Jones won the 1976 NL Cy Young Award, despite Koosman's seemingly better season. Some speculated that Jones won because sympathetic voters did not want him to finish second in voting two years in a row. In 1975, Jones had been runner-up to Seaver... Pete Rose collected his 4,000th career hit of Koosman, on April 13, 1984.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1991 |
BBWAA |
4 |
.9% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1969 National League Championship Series
1969 World Series
1973 National League Championship Series
1973 World Series
1983 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
Koosman won twice in the '69 Series, and once each in the '73 Playoffs and World Series.
Feats
Koosman twice fanned 15 batters in a game: first on May 28, 1969, in ten innings against the expansion Padres; and again on June 23, 1980, against the Royals in a 4-1 victory. Koosman struck out ten or more batters in a game twenty times.
Milestones
On August 19, 1983, in the second game of a doubleheader in Texas, Koosman won his 200th career game, pitching the White Sox to a 6-1 victory.
Notes
Koosman holds New York Mets franchise records for most career starts by a lefty (346), and most starts in a season by a lefty (35 in 1973 and '74). He is also tied for most consecutive complete games (eight in 1976), and tied for most innings pitched in one season by a lefty (265 along with Jon Matlack in 1974.)
Transactions
August 27, 1964: Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent; December 8, 1978: Traded by the New York Mets to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later and Greg Field (minors). The Minnesota Twins sent Jesse Orosco (February 7, 1979) to the New York Mets to complete the trade; August 30, 1981: Traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Chicago White Sox for a player to be named later, Ivan Mesa (minors), Ronnie Perry (minors), and cash. The Chicago White Sox sent Randy Johnson (September 2, 1981) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade; November 7, 1983: Granted Free Agency; December 2, 1983: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox; February 15, 1984: Sent by the Chicago White Sox to the Philadelphia Phillies to complete an earlier deal made on December 5, 1983. The Chicago White Sox sent a player to be named later to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ron Reed. The Chicago White Sox sent Jerry Koosman (February 15, 1984) to the Philadelphia Phillies to complete the trade; December 6, 1985: Released by the Philadelphia Phillies.
All-Star Selections
1968 NL
1969 NL
Replaced
"Fat Jack" Fisher as the #2 starter for the Mets, in 1968.
Replaced By
Koosman and Steve Carlton teamed as the Phillies' fifth starter in 1985. The following season, Mike Maddux replaced Koosman in that role.
Best Strength as a Player
His curveball.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Koosman was a terrible hitter: 52% of his outs were via strikeout.
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