Jerry Koosman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Koosman |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: December 23, 1942 Appleton, Minnesota, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| April 14, 1967, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 21, 1985, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 222–209 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.36 | ||
| Strikeouts | 2,556 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Jerome Martin Koosman (born December 23, 1942) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. His career lasted from 1967 to 1985. Koosman is best known for being a key player on the "Miracle Mets" team. This team surprisingly won the 1969 World Series.
Contents
New York Mets
Starting His Career
Jerry Koosman was first noticed by the son of a Shea Stadium usher, John Lucchese. John saw Koosman pitch while he was in the United States Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. After leaving the military, the Mets offered Koosman a contract. In 1966, Koosman was almost cut from the Mets team. However, Joe McDonald, an assistant farm director, asked for him to stay. Koosman owed the Mets money they had sent him when his car broke down.
In 1967, Koosman led all pitchers in the International League in strikeouts. He then joined the Mets’ main pitching team in 1968. That year, he had a great record of 19 wins and 12 losses. He also pitched seven shutouts, meaning the other team scored no runs. He had 178 strikeouts and a very low earned run average (ERA) of 2.08. These numbers set new records for the Mets team. His teammate Tom Seaver had set the previous records.
Koosman was also chosen for his first of two All-Star teams. The National League won the game 1–0. This was the only All-Star Game ever to end with that score. Koosman pitched the last part of the game without giving up any runs. He struck out Carl Yastrzemski for the final out, earning a save. Koosman was named to the 1968 Topps All-Star Rookie Roster. He finished second for the National League Rookie of the Year award, behind Johnny Bench.
The Miracle Mets
In 1969, Koosman continued his strong pitching. He had a record of 17 wins and 9 losses, with a 2.28 ERA. He also recorded 180 strikeouts. This was another All-Star season for him. That year, he was part of the Mets team that did something amazing. They unexpectedly won the National League East title. Before this, the Mets had often finished last in their league. They were also far behind the Chicago Cubs for most of the season. At one point, they were 9 and a half games behind. Koosman lost a game to the Houston Astros, making his record 9 wins and 8 losses. But after that, he won eight of his last nine games.
In Game Two of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, Koosman had a tough game. He gave up six runs in less than five innings. This included a three-run home run by Hank Aaron. However, the Mets still won the game 11–6. They then won the next game to win the series.
Koosman was the star pitcher in the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. In Game One, the Mets lost. But in Game Two, Koosman was pitching great. He held the Orioles without a hit until the seventh inning. Paul Blair then got a single, and the Orioles scored a run. The Mets took the lead again in the ninth inning. Koosman got two outs, but then walked two batters. Ron Taylor came in to pitch and got the final out.
The Series then moved to Shea Stadium for the next three games. The Mets won Games Three and Four. Koosman was the starting pitcher for Game Five. He fell behind 3–0 in the third inning. He gave up home runs to the opposing pitcher, Dave McNally, and to Frank Robinson. But the Mets fought back. Donn Clendenon hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Then, Al Weis hit a home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. Weis had only hit six home runs in his whole career before that. The Mets scored two more runs in the eighth inning to take the lead. Koosman walked Frank Robinson to start the ninth inning. But then he got the next three batters out. This ended the game and completed the Mets’ amazing World Series win!
Game Ball from Game 5
After the final out of the World Series, left fielder Cleon Jones caught the ball. He then gave that special game ball to Koosman. Koosman kept this ball, along with the game ball from Game 2, in a safe at his home. In the early 1990s, Koosman sold the ball from Game 5. No one knows where that Game 5 ball is now.
More Seasons with the Mets
In 1970, Koosman had a record of 12 wins and 7 losses with a 3.14 ERA. However, over the next two seasons, his performance dipped. He had more losses than wins. In 1971, he was 6–11, partly due to arm problems. In 1972, he was 11–12 with a 4.14 ERA. This was much higher than his usual ERA.
In 1973, Koosman started strong, winning his first five games. But he finished the season with a 14–15 record. In late August and early September that year, he set a Mets' record. He pitched 31 and two-thirds innings in a row without giving up any runs. R. A. Dickey later broke this record in 2012. Just like in 1969, the Mets surprisingly won the NL East title. They caught up to the Cubs, who they had been nine games behind. This comeback was thanks to the strong pitching of Koosman, Seaver, and Jon Matlack. This led to famous team slogans like Tug McGraw's "Ya Gotta Believe!" and manager Yogi Berra's "It ain’t over 'til it's over."
In Game Three of the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, Koosman pitched a complete game. The Mets won 9–2. This game was also known for an argument between Pete Rose and Mets' shortstop Bud Harrelson. The Mets won the series two days later in five games.
Koosman was the winning pitcher in Game Five of the World Series. This was against the Oakland Athletics, who were the champions from the year before. Koosman held Oakland scoreless for over six innings. This win gave the Mets a 3–2 lead in the Series. However, Oakland won the next two games to become World Champions again.
Later Years with the Mets
Koosman had a 15–11 record in 1974 and a 14–13 record in 1975. In 1976, he had one of his best seasons ever. He set personal bests with 21 wins (against 10 losses) and 200 strikeouts. He also finished second for the National League Cy Young Award, which goes to the best pitcher. Randy Jones won the award that year.
In 1977, the Mets traded Seaver to the Reds. The rest of the team also struggled. Koosman's performance dropped, and he finished with 8 wins and 20 losses. He tied with Phil Niekro for the most losses in the National League. After a 3–15 season in 1978, Koosman asked to be traded. He felt the team was not going to improve soon. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins. After Koosman left, Ed Kranepool was the only player left from the 1969 Miracle Mets team. (Seaver did return to the Mets for the 1983 season.)
The Mets received Jesse Orosco in the trade that sent Koosman to the Twins. Orosco was a "player to be named later" in the deal. The trade had been made two months earlier, in December 1978.
Later Career
 |
|
| Jerry Koosman's number 36 was retired by the New York Mets in 2021. |
Koosman played very well again in 1979, with a 20–13 record. He followed that with a 16–13 record in 1980. On August 30, 1981, the Twins traded Koosman to the Chicago White Sox. This was less than a month after the 1981 players' strike ended. He finished that season with a 4–13 record. He again tied for the league lead in losses.
Koosman had identical 11–7 records in 1982 and 1983. In 1983, the White Sox won the American League West title. This was their first time in the post-season since the 1959 World Series. However, the Baltimore Orioles defeated the White Sox in four games. After that season, Koosman was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He had a 14–15 record in 1984, which was his last strong season.
On April 13, 1984, Koosman gave up a double to Pete Rose. This hit was Rose's 4000th career hit.
With 222 wins, Koosman is tied for 72nd place on the all-time win list. He finished his career with a 222–209 record. His career ERA was 3.36 in 612 games. He struck out 2,556 batters in 3,839 and one-third innings pitched.
Koosman has the third most wins in Mets history (140). Only Tom Seaver (198) and Dwight Gooden (157) have more.
Koosman was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1989. He attended the 40th anniversary reunion of the 1969 Miracle Mets. This event was held at Citi Field on August 22, 2009.
The Mets retired Koosman's number 36 on August 28, 2021. This means no other Mets player will wear that number. He was the third Mets player to have his number retired, after Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. Since then, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays and Dwight Gooden have also had their numbers retired.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
