Jerry Koosman, legendary Mets pitcher, dies at 83

No one called Jerry Koosman “The Franchise,” a nickname that belonged to Tom Seaver and made him the face of a Mets era (for fans too young to remember it).

But for those who were around in 1969, Seaver's lefthanded counterpart was a franchise foundation in his own right.

Koosman,  who died Sunday at the age of 83, got the win in two of the Mets’ four victories over the Orioles in the 1969 World Series, among many other achievements.

He won Game 2, 2-1, giving up two hits in 8 2/3 innings after Seaver lost the opener. Then he went the distance in the Game 5 clincher as the Mets won, 5-3, after falling behind 3-0.

In the 1973 World Series, Koosman and Tug McGraw combined on a three-hit, 2-0 shutout of the Athletics in Game 5, giving the Mets a 3-2 series lead before they lost in seven.

Koosman was 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA in seven career postseason games, confirming his reputation as a big-game pitcher.

Those two games in the ’69 World Series assured his place in Mets lore, but they were only part of a 19-year MLB career with the Mets, Twins, White Sox and Phillies.

Koosman was a two-time All-Star (1968 and ’69), won 222 games with a 3.36 career ERA and struck out 2,556 batters in 3,839 1/3 innings. He finished second to Randy Jones in the 1976 National League Cy Young Award voting after going 21-10 with a 2.69 ERA.

Born Dec. 23, 1942, he grew up on a farm in Minnesota and signed with the Mets after his catcher on an Army team in Texas, John Lucchese, tipped off his father, who was an usher at Shea Stadium.

Koosman nearly got released in spring training in 1966 before team official Joe McDonald put a stop to it because, Koosman said, he owed the Mets the $50 they loaned him to take a bus to spring training after his car was totaled en route.

"Joe McDonald claimed I owed him 50 bucks and they weren’t going to release me until they got the money back," Koosman said in 2021. "I think they took it out of my check."

Koosman ended up sticking around and broke into the Mets' rotation in 1968, joining Seaver on a rising young staff that formed the core of the ’69 team and beyond.

Many Mets fans recall a pivotal 3-2 victory over the Cubs on Sept. 8, 1969, as the Mets closed in on first place. Cubs starter Bill Hands threw a pitch that flattened Tommie Agee to begin the bottom of the first and Koosman responded by drilling the Cubs’ Ron Santo to begin the top of the second. Koosman pitched a complete game and struck out 13.

After catching Davey Johnson’s fly ball for the final out of the ’69 World Series, Cleon Jones gave the ball to Koosman, who decades later sold it.

Koosman indirectly helped the Mets win their second World Series title. In 1979, the Mets traded him to the Twins in a deal that brought Jesse Orosco to New York. Seven years later, Orosco was on the mound for the final out of the 1986 World Series — just as Koosman had been in 1969.

In 1984, Koosman (pitching for the Phillies) gave up a double to Pete Rose (playing for the Expos) for Rose’s 4,000th career hit.

The Mets inducted Koosman into their Hall of Fame in 1989 and retired his No. 36 in 2021.

"It’s very humbling to be chosen to have your number retired," Koosman said at the time. "Evidently, someone thinks I contributed along the way. So yeah, it’s a good feeling. Gosh, I don’t know what more to say. I’m overjoyed."

Former teammate Ron Swoboda said, “None of us who are wearing World Series rings would be wearing World Series rings from 1969 if we didn’t have Jerry Koosman coming right behind Tom Seaver. You needed that 1-2 punch.

“In certain situations, I think you’d rather have Koosman out there because he was a little nastier than Tom was."

By Neil Best

Special to Newsday@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.