Jerry Koosman, the Mets lefty who closed out the 1969 World Series, dies at 83
Koosman won 140 games for the Mets, the most by a left-hander in team history, and pitched the complete-game clincher against Baltimore in 1969. The team retired his No. 36 in 2021.
Photo: slgckgc / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Jerry Koosman, a two-time All-Star and a cornerstone of the 1969 Miracle Mets, died Sunday morning in Osceola, Wisconsin, at 83, the Mets announced. The team said he had battled multiple illnesses.
- He won Game 2 of the 1969 World Series against the Orioles and threw a complete game in the Game 5 clincher, the Mets' first championship.
- With the Mets from 1967 to 1978 he went 140-137 with a 3.09 ERA; his 140 wins are the most by a Mets left-hander and third in team history behind Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden.
- In 1976 he went 21-10 with a 2.69 ERA and finished second to Randy Jones in the NL Cy Young voting. He ended his 19-year career with 222 wins and 2,556 strikeouts.
- The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1989 and retired his No. 36 in 2021.
Jerry Koosman, the left-hander who pitched the final game of the 1969 World Series for the Miracle Mets, died Sunday morning in Osceola, Wisconsin, the team announced. He was 83. He had been battling multiple illnesses, according to the Mets, amNY and CBS Sports reported.
In a statement reported by CBS Sports, owners Steve and Alex Cohen called him one of the greatest pitchers in team history and said his World Series performance helped the Mets win their first championship. MLB.com called him perhaps the best left-handed pitcher the franchise has had.
The 1969 clincher
The Mets found Koosman pitching for the U.S. Army and signed him in 1964, CBS Sports reported. He debuted in 1967 and was an All-Star in his first full season, 1968, when he threw 263 2/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA and finished second to Johnny Bench for Rookie of the Year.
He was an All-Star again in 1969, with a 2.28 ERA in 241 innings, and was the Mets' No. 2 postseason starter between Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, CBS Sports reported. In the World Series against Baltimore he won Game 2 and then went the distance in Game 5 to clinch the title. In 1973 he won Game 3 of the NLCS against the Reds and threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings to win Game 5 of the World Series against Oakland, though the Mets lost in seven games, amNY reported.
By the numbers
- Mets, 1967-78: 140-137, 3.09 ERA, 1,799 strikeouts in 2,544 2/3 innings (amNY).
- Team ranks: most wins by a Mets left-hander and third overall behind Seaver (198) and Dwight Gooden (157); second in innings and third in strikeouts (CBS Sports).
- Best season: 1976, 21-10 with a 2.69 ERA and 200 strikeouts, second to the Padres' Randy Jones for the NL Cy Young Award.
- Career, 1967-85: 222-209, 3.36 ERA, 2,556 strikeouts, with the Mets, Twins, White Sox and Phillies.
- Honors: Mets Hall of Fame in 1989; No. 36 retired in 2021.
Born in Appleton, Minnesota, Koosman was traded to the Minnesota Twins in December 1978 for Jesse Orosco. He pitched for the Twins, White Sox and Phillies before retiring after the 1985 season, CBS Sports reported. He fell off the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in his first year of eligibility, 1991.
- amNYJerry Koosman, 1969 Miracle Mets icon, dies at 83 years old
- CBS SportsMets legend Jerry Koosman dies at 83: Pitcher helped New York win 1969 World Series
- MLB.comKoosman, iconic Mets southpaw who clinched '69 WS, passes away at 83
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