Mort Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mort Cooper |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 2, 1913 Atherton, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Died: November 17, 1958 (aged 45) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 14, 1938, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 7, 1949, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 128–75 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.97 | ||
| Strikeouts | 913 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Morton Cecil Cooper (born March 2, 1913 – died November 17, 1958) was a famous American baseball player. He was a pitcher, which is the player who throws the ball to the batter. Mort played for eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played from 1938 to 1949. His teams included the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves, New York Giants, and Chicago Cubs.
Mort Cooper threw and batted with his right hand. He was quite tall, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) and weighing 210 pounds (95 kg). In 1942, he was named the National League Most Valuable Player. His younger brother, Walker Cooper, was also a major league baseball player.
Mort Cooper's Baseball Journey
Mort Cooper was born in Atherton, Missouri. He started his baseball career by signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1933. Before joining the major leagues, he played for seven of their minor league teams. In 1938, the Cardinals brought him up to play in the big leagues.
Cooper made his debut with the Cardinals in 1938. As a rookie in 1939, he had a good record of 12 wins and 6 losses. Over the next two seasons, he continued to improve. He played a key role in helping the Cardinals win the World Series in both 1942 and 1944.
In 1942, Mort Cooper had an amazing season. He led the National League with 22 wins. He also had 10 shutouts, which means he pitched an entire game without the other team scoring any runs. His ERA was 1.78, which was the best in the league. Because of his outstanding performance, he won the NL Most Valuable Player award.
At the start of the 1945 season, Mort and his brother Walker asked the Cardinals for higher salaries. After only three starts that year, Mort was traded to the Boston Braves. He had some problems with his elbow, which affected his playing. He finished 1945 with 9 wins and 4 losses. In 1946, he had a record of 13 wins and 11 losses.
In 1947, after starting the season with 2 wins and 5 losses, he was traded to the New York Giants. He played for the Giants for the rest of that season. He did not pitch in 1948 due to arm issues.
Mort Cooper finished his baseball career in 1949 with a single appearance for the Chicago Cubs. He retired with a career record of 128 wins and 75 losses. His ERA was 2.97. He recorded 913 strikeouts and 33 shutouts. He pitched a total of 1840 and two-thirds innings.
Mort was chosen to be an All-Star four times: in 1942, 1943, 1945, and 1946. Besides pitching, he also hit the ball sometimes. He had a .194 batting average. He hit 6 home runs and had 68 RBI.
On April 25, 2019, Mort Cooper was honored by being inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum.
Later Life
Mort Cooper lived in Houston for several years in the 1950s. He passed away in Little Rock, Arkansas, on November 17, 1958.
See also
- List of St. Louis Cardinals team records
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
