Jerry Koosman, baseball player, 1967-1985

Jerry Koosman

Born: 12/23/1942 in Appleton, MN, USA

MLB Debut: 1967-04-14 | Final Game: 1985-08-21

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Jerome Martin Koosman

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Biography

Jerry Koosman, born in 1942, was a prominent American pitcher whose career spanned from 1967 to 1985. Known for his exceptional left-handed pitching and competitive spirit, Koosman established himself as a key player in Major League Baseball during his time. He recorded a career win-loss record of 222-209 and maintained an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.36 over his lengthy career. With a total of 2,556 strikeouts and 17 saves, Koosman's ability to dominate opposing hitters made him a notable figure on the mound. Koosman was recognized for his talents early in his career, winning the TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year award shortly after his debut. He was selected as an All-Star twice, solidifying his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. His contributions to the game were particularly significant during the late 1960s and 1970s, a time when pitching was at a premium. Koosman's career not only reflected his individual prowess but also underscored the evolving dynamics of pitching in a competitive league. His legacy is remembered by fans and historians alike as one of the stalwarts of his generation.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
222 209 612 527 140 33 17 3839.3 3635 1433 290 1198 2556 3.36 0

Career ERA 3.36 vs. league average 3.68 across their career seasons — 8.8% better than 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
1967 NYN NL 0 2 9 3 0 0 0 22.3 22 15 19 11 6.04 3.30 (-83%) -1429.7
1968 NYN NL 19 12 35 34 17 7 0 263.7 221 61 69 178 2.08 2.98 (+30%) 1960.7
1969 NYN NL 17 9 32 32 16 6 0 241.0 187 61 68 180 2.28 3.61 (+37%) 5985.9
1970 NYN NL 12 7 30 29 5 1 0 212.0 189 74 71 118 3.14 3.89 (+19%) -118.4
1971 NYN NL 6 11 26 24 4 0 0 165.7 160 56 51 96 3.04 3.47 (+12%) 1255.8
1972 NYN NL 11 12 34 24 4 1 1 163.0 155 75 52 147 4.14 3.26 (-27%) 2041.0
1973 NYN NL 14 15 35 35 12 3 0 263.0 234 83 76 156 2.84 3.75 (+24%) 3911.6
1974 NYN NL 15 11 35 35 13 0 0 265.0 258 99 85 188 3.36 3.63 (+7%) 4482.0
1975 NYN NL 14 13 36 34 11 4 2 239.7 234 91 98 173 3.42 3.71 (+8%) 1634.0
1976 NYN NL 21 10 34 32 17 3 0 247.3 205 74 66 200 2.69 3.51 (+23%) 4467.5
1977 NYN NL 8 20 32 32 6 1 0 226.7 195 88 81 192 3.49 4.00 (+13%) 5068.5
1978 NYN NL 3 15 38 32 3 0 2 235.3 221 98 84 160 3.75 3.69 (-2%) 2158.9
1979 MIN AL 20 13 37 36 10 2 0 263.7 268 99 83 157 3.38 4.00 (+16%) 3790.5
1980 MIN AL 16 13 38 34 8 0 2 243.3 252 109 69 149 4.03 3.84 (-5%) 763.9
1981 MIN AL 3 9 19 13 2 1 5 94.3 98 44 34 55 4.20 3.58 (-17%) -82.7
1981 CHW AL 1 4 8 3 1 0 0 27.0 27 10 7 21 3.33 3.58 (+7%) -
1982 CHW AL 11 7 42 19 3 1 3 173.3 194 74 38 88 3.84 3.86 (+1%) -
1983 CHW AL 11 7 37 24 2 1 2 169.7 176 90 53 90 4.77 3.87 (-23%) -
1984 PHI NL 14 15 36 34 3 1 0 224.0 232 81 60 137 3.25 3.81 (+15%) 5611.9
1985 PHI NL 6 4 19 18 3 1 0 99.3 107 51 34 60 4.62 3.89 (-19%) -1349.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
612 915 36 109 12 1 2 46 1 33 418 0.119 0.151 0.141 0.292 -7688.2

Career AVG .119 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 53.4% below league average.

Career OBP .151 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 53.0% below league average.

Career SLG .141 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 62.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.292 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — 58.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1967 NYN NL 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1968 NYN NL 35 91 3 7 1 0 1 4 0 3 62 0.077 .236 (-68%) .298 (-64%) .340 (-64%) .638 (-64%) -895.0
1969 NYN NL 32 84 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 46 0.048 .248 (-81%) .320 (-82%) .369 (-87%) .689 (-85%) -1148.5
1970 NYN NL 30 70 5 6 1 0 0 4 0 8 46 0.086 .253 (-66%) .325 (-45%) .385 (-74%) .711 (-61%) -699.5
1971 NYN NL 26 50 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 3 25 0.160 .249 (-36%) .316 (-30%) .365 (-56%) .682 (-44%) -337.3
1972 NYN NL 34 47 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 18 0.085 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYN NL 35 78 3 8 1 0 0 3 0 2 37 0.103 .256 (-60%) .325 (-62%) .378 (-70%) .703 (-66%) -853.2
1974 NYN NL 35 86 5 16 2 1 0 5 0 7 29 0.186 .256 (-28%) .324 (-24%) .369 (-37%) .693 (-31%) -434.2
1975 NYN NL 36 78 4 14 2 0 0 6 1 4 31 0.179 .257 (-30%) .327 (-33%) .374 (-45%) .701 (-39%) -510.4
1976 NYN NL 34 79 5 17 2 0 0 6 0 2 34 0.215 .255 (-16%) .320 (-27%) .360 (-33%) .681 (-30%) -387.7
1977 NYN NL 32 72 2 8 0 0 1 7 0 0 30 0.111 .264 (-58%) .329 (-63%) .401 (-62%) .730 (-62%) -777.2
1978 NYN NL 38 70 1 6 3 0 0 2 0 0 27 0.086 .257 (-67%) .323 (-74%) .378 (-66%) .702 (-69%) -815.9
1979 MIN AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 MIN AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 MIN AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 CHW AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CHW AL 42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 CHW AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 PHI NL 36 74 2 8 0 0 0 3 0 1 23 0.108 .259 (-58%) .322 (-63%) .384 (-72%) .707 (-68%) -829.3
1985 PHI NL 19 34 1 3 0 0 0 4 0 1 9 0.088 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 17 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 9 0.176

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 ALCS CHA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 NLCS NYN 1 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.500
1973 WS NYN 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000
1969 NLCS NYN 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000
1969 WS NYN 2 7 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 0.143

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 0 7 6 0 40.3 32 17 17 31 3.79

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1983 ALCS CHA 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 1 2 2 0 54.00
1973 NLCS NYN 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 8 2 0 9 2.00
1973 WS NYN 1 0 2 2 0 8.7 9 3 7 8 3.12
1969 NLCS NYN 0 0 1 1 0 4.7 7 6 4 5 11.57
1969 WS NYN 2 0 2 2 0 17.7 7 4 4 9 2.04

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 612 527 116 582 42 36

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1967 NYN P 9 3 0 5 0 1
1968 NYN P 35 34 5 42 0 2
1969 NYN P 32 32 4 37 1 3
1970 NYN P 30 29 7 20 0 1
1971 NYN P 26 24 6 23 1 2
1972 NYN P 34 24 4 23 1 1
1973 NYN P 35 35 5 41 2 1
1974 NYN P 35 35 8 41 4 2
1975 NYN P 36 34 10 32 3 3
1976 NYN P 34 32 5 39 3 1
1977 NYN P 32 32 4 25 4 0
1978 NYN P 38 32 4 48 6 4
1979 MIN P 37 36 10 50 5 6
1980 MIN P 38 34 7 41 3 2
1981 MIN P 19 13 5 15 1 0
1981 CHA P 8 3 2 2 0 0
1982 CHA P 42 19 12 24 1 3
1983 CHA P 37 24 5 26 2 2
1984 PHI P 36 34 9 34 4 1
1985 PHI P 19 18 4 14 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 612

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1976 Pitcher of the Month July
1973 Player of the Month April
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-04-27
1968 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1985 PHI NL $600,000
Total Career Earnings $600,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1979 Cy Young Award AL 6th 5.0 140 0
1976 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 69.0 120 7
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 20.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 6.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 14.0 280 0
1968 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 9.0 20 9