Jerry Koosman. Photo by Wikipedia/Public Domain.
The best left-handed pitcher in Mets history passed away on Sunday, Nov. 1.
“Kooz was one of the greatest pitchers in team history and a beloved member of the Mets family,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “The 1969 Miracle Mets were filled with heroes, and the special southpaw from Appleton, Minnesota, was central to their success. He was a fierce competitor on the field and a respected teammate in the clubhouse. His legendary performance in the World Series helped the Mets secure their first Championship in team history. On behalf of the entire Mets organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Jerry’s family, friends, former teammates, and all who loved him.”
Koosman compiled a 140-137 record with the Mets, with a 3.09 ERA from 1967-78, and, for his career, went 222-209 with a 3.36 ERA over 19 major league seasons, and won 20 games twice.
The self-described Minnesota farm boy should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame a long time ago, as his numbers
When I sat down to write this column, I was a little annoyed after reading some of the comments posted on social media, calling Koosman “Robin” to Tom Seaver’s “Batman.”
First off, Seaver was Superman. Secondly, Koosman was no sidekick, no second banana. If anything, he was Shazam. Same excellence, different cape. As the great Mike Vaccaro put it in his column this past week, Seaver was thunder, and Koosman was lightning.
“He could get that fastball in on right-handers,” said his former teammate Ron Swoboda. “Boy, you talk about [he would just] eat them up! His stuff was every bit as good as Seaver’s.”
Koosman, who retired after the 1985 season, spent just one year on the ballot (1991), receiving just 4 votes (0.9%) before falling off the ballot. True, it was a time when the BBWAA only seemed to vote in 300-game winners, but anyone who watched Koosman pitch knows how good he was.
Consider this: according to baseball-reference.com, Koosman pitched for teams that scored two runs or fewer in 187 of his starts, and his record for those games? A shocking 31-139!
Tom Seaver’s Thunder (41) and Jerry Koosman’s Lightning (36) led the Mets to the 1969 World Series title. Photo by Bill Menzel.
If he had pitched for teams with a competent offense, let’s say he won half of those games; his W-L record would be 291-140.
In 2021, after years of previous ownership refusing to retire his #36, the Cohens and the organization welcomed the former left-hander to Citi Field for his retirement ceremony.
“Humbly thankful that they thought that much of me to retire my number,” Koosman said that day. “I know I’m joining a great crew that’s already had their numbers retired.”
He certainly deserved to have his number retired, and I’m just glad he was able to have that special day with his family, friends and former teammates.
“It’s safe to say that in 60 years, the Mets have never had a better money pitcher than Jerry Koosman,” said Mets radio play-by-play man Howie Rose.