RIP Joe Coleman

[maumann]

Came to the Tigers in one of the most lopsided deals in major league history. He won 88 games over five seasons with the Tigers, coming over from the Senators along with Aurelio Rodriguez and Eddie Brinkman for Denny McLain, Don Wert, Norm McRae and Elliott Maddux. Those three were instrumental in Detroit taking the A's to the full five games in the 1972 ALCS.

Down 0-2 in the Series, Coleman struck out 14 in a shutout of Oakland at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers rallied in extra innings in Game 4, only to eventually lose the decider, which solidified my lifelong hatred for all things green and gold.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-coleman-pitcher-senators-dead-0d30753f9951fe00b6faffff134463da
On a personal note, I never witnessed a Coleman victory in person, but it seemed like he started every game I dragged my best friend to at the Coliseum. I'll have to do a search on Baseball Reference, but it's either four or five games where he either got blown out or the Tigers blew a late lead (including Mark Fidrych's major league debut).

RIP to a good pitcher during a bad stretch of baseball in Detroit.

 

[Ookpik]

RIP.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Kind of like Walt Terrell, who also missed the World Series team but pitched for a playoff team. But unlike the Denny McLain trade, I would have rather kept Howard Johnson. Sparky didn’t like kids, though

 

[Starman]

A solid guy in the HOPG.

 

[WolvEagle]

The Tigers also got Jim Hannan in that deal, but he didn't do much for the Tigers. Still, that was an incredibly one-sided trade because Coleman was a rock-solid No. 2 starter behind Mickey Lolich, and Rodriguez and Brinkman anchored the left side of the infield for several seasons.

It seems like Coleman always had a befuddled look on his face for his baseball cards, but I think I was befuddled when I saw him with a bat on his shoulder for his 1973 Topps card.

 

[micropolitan guy]

His dad pitched for the Philadelphia A's, also named Joe Coleman.

The A's also had a pitcher named Lew Krause. Yes, the dad of the other Lew Krause.

Both familiar faces from baseball cards of my youth.

 

[mpcincal]

The Tigers also got Jim Hannan in that deal, but he didn't do much for the Tigers. Still, that was an incredibly one-sided trade because Coleman was a rock-solid No. 2 starter behind Mickey Lolich, and Rodriguez and Brinkman anchored the left side of the infield for several seasons.

It seems like Coleman always had a befuddled look on his face for his baseball cards, but I think I was befuddled when I saw him with a bat on his shoulder for his 1973 Topps card.

I got a few Coleman cards back in the day, and what I remember is he always had that tobacco bulge in his cheek, a little more pronounced than other players. Actually, it looked like he had stuffed a spare baseball in there.