Books and articles about Joe Coleman

Coleman overcame a 9-32 minor league record to twice win 20 games in the big leagues. The first player chosen by the Senators in the initial 1965 free agent draft, he had his best years after going to Detroit in an eight-player deal for Denny McLain in 1970. He won 20 games in 1971, 19 in 1972, and a career-high 23 in 1973. In Game Three of the 1972 LCS, he shut out Oakland 3-0, striking out an LCS-record 14 batters. After going 10-18 (5.55) in 1975, Coleman worked for six teams in four years, mostly out of the bullpen.

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The son of Joseph Patrick Coleman, the two rank third in father-son combined wins, their 194 victories placing them behind the Bagbys and the Trouts. (RMu)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 8, 1965: Arizona State star sophomore Rick Monday, selected by the Athletics, is the first player chosen in the initial ML free-agent draft of high school, college, and sandlot players. Picking 2nd, the Mets take P Les Rohr (who will two games). Joe Coleman, Jr. is taken 3rd by the Senators. On the 10th round they finally take Nolan Ryan. Cincinnati picks Johnny Bench in the 2nd round after taking Bernie Carbo in the 1st. » July 9, 1969: President Nixon watches the Senators for the 4th time this season, and they finally win one for him, beating the Indians, 3–0, behind Joe Coleman's 4-hitter. » July 14, 1969: Joe Coleman posts his 2nd straight shutout and drives in two runs to defeat the Tigers, 3–0, in Washington. A crowd of 23,831 pushes the Senators attendance to 553,506, exceeding the club's 1968 attendance of 542,042. » June 20, 1970: Brooks Robinson's 2,000th ML hit is a big one—a 3-run homer off Washington's Joe Coleman in the 5th inning. The drive snaps a 2–2 tie, and the Orioles hang on for a 5–4 victory. » October 9, 1970: The Tigers trade Denny McLain to the Senators in an 8-player deal that also sees OF Elliott Maddox, 3B Aurelio Rodriguez, and P Joe Coleman change teams. This ranks as one of Detroit's best trades ever. » July 4, 1971: Backed by a pair of homers. Mike Cuellar wins his 10th straight for the first-place O's, beating Detroit's Joe Coleman, 3–2. » August 27, 1971: Detroit's Willie Horton is struck in the eye by a pitch from Chicago's Rich Hinton, sidelining him for 28 games. Hinton, in his first ML start, last two 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Joe Coleman wins. » May 27, 1972: The Tigers use a wild pitch, two bunts, and a single to top Mel Stottlemyre and the Yankees, 2–1. Joe Coleman is the winner for the first place Tigers. » August 27, 1972: The Tigers Willie Horton clouts an 11th-inning 2-run home run to beat Minnesota 5–3 in the opener of 2. In the nightcap, Joe Coleman pitches 11 shutout innings against Minnesota before Aurelio Rodriguez's home run gives him the 1–0 win. This is the 3rd win in a row for the Tigers on 11th-inning homers. Rodriguez hit one to start the streak. » September 16, 1972: Joe Coleman wins his 17th game and Dick McAuliffe clouts two home runs and drives in four to lead Detroit to a 6–2 win in Milwaukee. This is Detroit's 5th win in a row and keeps them a percentage point behind Boston. » September 21, 1972: The American League East is a virtual tie as Detroit's Joe Coleman posts his 18th win, a critical 10–3 defeat of first-place Boston. Coleman strikes out 10 and knocks in three runs. » October 10, 1972: The Tigers bounce back behind Joe Coleman's 14 strikeouts to beat Oakland 3–0. Bill Freehan's home run supplies the firepower. » April 14, 1974: In the 8th inning of Detroit's 1–0 win over the Red Sox, Willie Horton mortally wounds a pigeon with a foul fly directly over home plate in Fenway Park. The pigeon lands at the feet of C Bob Montgomery. On the next pitch Horton grounds a single to LF. Joe Coleman is the shutout victor. » June 8, 1976: The Tigers send veteran Joe Coleman, 10–18 in 1975, to the Cubs for cash and a player to be named later.