Don Cooper, the long time Chicago White Sox pitching coach whose voice, instincts, and steadiness shaped nearly two decades of South Side baseball, has passed away at the age of 70. Though Cooper’s major league playing career was brief — just 44 appearances across four seasons — his coaching life became one of the most durable and influential in modern baseball.
Don Cooper was was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 1978 amateur draft. Then on December 8, 1980, Cooper was drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the New York Yankees in the 1980 rule 5 draft.
Cooper reached the majors in 1981 and played for parts of 1981 and 1982 making a total of 33 appearances finishing his time with Minnesota with a 1-6 record and a 5.13 ERA. His time in Minnesota was short, but it included one memorable footnote: on September 2, 1981, Cooper earned his only major league win, getting the final five outs as the Twins beat the Yankees 4–3 at Metropolitan Stadium . He even struck out Reggie Jackson looking to end the game. Cooper also pitched briefly for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1983 and the New York Yankees in 1985.
That lone victory would eventually be overshadowed by something far greater: the 1,441 wins the White Sox collected with Cooper as their pitching coach. It is one of the most staggering coaching totals in baseball history — a testament to longevity, adaptability, and trust.
