Joe Coleman

Born: 2/3/1947 in Boston, MA, USA

Died: 7/9/2025 in Jamestown, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-09-28 | Final Game: 1979-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Joseph Howard Coleman

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Biography

Joe Coleman was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1965 to 1979. Born in 1947, Coleman's journey in Major League Baseball began with the Washington Senators, where he showcased his skills on the mound. Over his 14-season career, he accumulated a record of 142 wins and 135 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.7. Known for his ability to strike out batters, he recorded a total of 1,728 strikeouts, along with 7 saves, demonstrating both his effectiveness as a starter and his capability to close games when needed. Coleman was selected as an All-Star during his career, a testament to his talent and performance in an era marked by fierce competition. His playing style was characterized by a strong fastball and the ability to keep hitters off balance, which allowed him to succeed against some of the best lineups in the league. Competing during the late 1960s and 1970s, Coleman was part of a transformative period in baseball that witnessed significant changes in pitching strategies and player dynamics. His contributions to the teams he played for, including the Senators, Detroit Tigers, and the Chicago Cubs, solidified his legacy as a reliable and skilled pitcher in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
142	135	484	340	94	18	7	2569.3	2416	1055	234	1003	1728	3.70	0

Career ERA 3.70 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1965	WS2	AL	2	0	2	2	2	0	0	18.0	9	3	8	7	1.50	3.50 (+57%)	192.4
1966	WS2	AL	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	9.0	6	2	2	4	2.00	3.52 (+43%)	0.0
1967	WS2	AL	8	9	28	22	3	0	0	134.0	154	69	47	77	4.63	3.30 (-40%)	268.0
1968	WS2	AL	12	16	33	33	12	2	0	223.0	212	81	51	139	3.27	2.98 (-10%)	-650.6
1969	WS2	AL	12	13	40	36	12	4	1	247.7	222	90	100	182	3.27	3.61 (+9%)	-486.4
1970	WS2	AL	8	12	39	29	6	1	0	218.7	190	87	89	152	3.58	3.89 (+8%)	-711.1
1971	DET	AL	20	9	39	38	16	3	0	286.0	241	100	96	236	3.15	3.47 (+9%)	6168.5
1972	DET	AL	19	14	40	39	9	3	0	280.0	216	87	110	222	2.80	3.26 (+14%)	798.4
1973	DET	AL	23	15	40	40	13	2	0	288.3	283	113	93	202	3.53	3.75 (+6%)	512.0
1974	DET	AL	14	12	41	41	11	2	0	285.7	272	137	158	177	4.32	3.63 (-19%)	-6519.6
1975	DET	AL	10	18	31	31	6	1	0	201.0	234	124	85	125	5.55	3.71 (-50%)	-4091.4
1976	DET	AL	2	5	12	12	1	0	0	66.7	80	36	34	38	4.86	3.51 (-38%)	121.0
1976	CHC	NL	2	8	39	4	0	0	4	79.0	72	36	35	66	4.10	3.51 (-17%)	-
1977	OAK	AL	4	4	43	12	2	0	2	127.7	114	42	49	55	2.96	4.00 (+26%)	-643.5
1978	OAK	AL	3	0	10	0	0	0	0	19.7	12	3	5	4	1.37	3.69 (+63%)	42.0
1978	TOR	AL	2	0	31	0	0	0	0	60.7	67	31	30	28	4.60	3.69 (-25%)	-1218.5
1979	SFG	NL	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	3.7	3	0	2	0	0.00	—	-
1979	PIT	NL	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	20.7	29	14	9	14	6.10	4.00 (-52%)	282.3

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
485	462	18	49	8	0	0	23	0	32	195	0.106	0.165	0.123	0.289	-3601.9

Career AVG .106 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 58.0% below league average.

Career OBP .165 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 48.2% below league average.

Career SLG .123 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 66.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.289 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 58.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1965	WS2	AL	2	6	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	WS2	AL	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	WS2	AL	28	36	3	2	1	3	3	22	0.056	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	WS2	AL	34	70	2	9	2	3	2	22	0.129	.236 (-46%)	.298 (-49%)	.340 (-54%)	.638 (-51%)	-550.4
1969	WS2	AL	40	84	2	9	1	4	4	40	0.107	.248 (-57%)	.320 (-54%)	.369 (-68%)	.689 (-61%)	-846.9
1970	WS2	AL	39	67	5	8	1	6	12	28	0.119	.253 (-53%)	.325 (-19%)	.385 (-65%)	.711 (-44%)	-463.2
1971	DET	AL	39	96	1	9	2	2	6	39	0.094	.249 (-62%)	.316 (-54%)	.365 (-69%)	.682 (-62%)	-978.1
1972	DET	AL	40	82	5	9	0	5	5	30	0.110	.243 (-55%)	.310 (-48%)	.353 (-69%)	.664 (-59%)	-763.3
1973	DET	AL	40	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	DET	AL	41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	DET	AL	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	DET	AL	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1976	CHC	NL	39	13	0	2	0	0	0	4	0.154	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	OAK	AL	43	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	OAK	AL	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	TOR	AL	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	SFG	NL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	PIT	NL	10	5	0	1	1	0	0	3	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.500

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1972	ALCS	DET	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	0	1	1	0	9.0	7	0	3	14	0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1972	ALCS	DET	1	0	1	1	0	9.0	7	0	3	14	0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	484	340	179	351	25	22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1965	WS2	P	2	2	0	6	0	1
1966	WS2	P	1	1	2	2	0	1
1967	WS2	P	28	22	9	14	1	0
1968	WS2	P	33	33	30	20	3	0
1969	WS2	P	40	36	21	35	2	3
1970	WS2	P	39	29	16	30	0	3
1971	DET	P	39	38	18	32	3	2
1972	DET	P	40	39	6	39	1	2
1973	DET	P	40	40	23	37	2	1
1974	DET	P	41	41	21	47	3	4
1975	DET	P	31	31	6	32	2	1
1976	DET	P	12	12	2	19	3	2
1976	CHN	P	39	4	6	12	1	0
1977	OAK	P	43	12	13	17	3	2
1978	OAK	P	10	0	2	4	0	0
1978	TOR	P	31	0	3	5	0	0
1979	SFN	P	5	0	0	0	0	0
1979	PIT	P	10	0	1	0	1	0