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Jerry Koosman, a durable left-handed pitcher who added championship pedigree and consistent innings to the Chicago White Sox during their 1983 American League West title season, died Sunday in Osceola, Wisconsin. He was 83.
Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz confirmed that Koosman had fought multiple illnesses for about a year before succumbing to heart failure, with his children by his side. Born in Minnesota, Koosman concluded a 19-year major-league career with 222 victories, a 3.36 ERA, and 2,556 strikeouts.
Although Koosman is most celebrated as the Mets' No. 2 starter behind Tom Seaver on the 1969 Miracle Mets World Series championship team—earning complete-game wins in Games 2 and 5 against the Baltimore Orioles—White Sox fans remember him as a crucial veteran addition in the early 1980s. The Twins traded him to Chicago on August 30, 1981.
Across parts of three seasons with the White Sox, Koosman compiled a 23-18 record with a 4.23 ERA over 370 innings, posting identical 11-7 marks in both 1982 and 1983. In 1983, under manager Tony La Russa, the White Sox won 99 games and secured their first division title since 1959. Koosman, then 40, served as a versatile workhorse who both started and relieved.
He earned his 200th career win that August against the Texas Rangers and delivered a strong pitching performance in the September 17 clincher against Seattle, a night that pushed Comiskey Park attendance over 2 million for the first time in franchise history. The day after the clinch, standing near owner Jerry Reinsdorf during the on-field celebration, Koosman offered a quiet reminder that has resonated with Sox fans ever since: Enjoy the moment because they're few and far between.
The White Sox fell to the Orioles in the AL Championship Series, but Koosman's presence on a staff that included LaMarr Hoyt, Floyd Bannister, and Richard Dotson gave the club a reliable left-handed option and the perspective of a proven winner. After the season, he was traded to the Phillies, where he continued pitching into 1985 before retiring at age 42.
Born Jerome Martin Koosman on December 23, 1942, in Appleton, Minnesota, he was a two-time All-Star and the winningest left-hander in Mets history. His No. 36 was retired by New York in 2021. For White Sox fans, he remains a link to one of the franchise's most memorable summers—a steady lefty who helped deliver a long-awaited division crown and left behind a reminder to savor it.
Key Analysis
Koosman's career exemplifies durability and consistency, bridging his iconic Mets years with a valuable stint on the South Side. His contributions to the 1983 White Sox went beyond statistics, providing leadership and a winning mentality that helped end a 24-year playoff drought. His legacy serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of success in sports, echoing his own words to cherish those rare moments.
Originally reported by yardbarker.