Former Pirates Pitcher, All-Star Dies

PITTSBURGH — Joe Coleman, a former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who was on the team for a brief stint in the late 1970s, died this week.

A former right-handed pitcher, Coleman died in his sleep in Jamestown, Tenn. on July 9, according to his son Casey Coleman.

Coleman joined the Pirates Triple-A affiliate, the Portland Beavers, in May 1979. He had a record of 5-1 and a 2.78 ERA, before the Pirates purchased his contract in mid-July.

He would make 10 appearances for the Pirates that season, finishing with a 6.10 ERA over 20.2 innings pitched, 14 strikeouts to nine walks and a 1.84 WHIP.

Coleman had one of the worst outings of his career, where he gave up 13 hits, nine runs and eight earned runs over six innings pitched in a 15-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Aug. 7.

He didn't pitch in the postseason, as the Pirates went on and won the 1979 World Series in seven games over the Baltimore Orioles.

Coleman was the third overall pick in the first amateur draft in 1965, with the Washington Senators taking him. His father Joe Coleman, who pitched for 14 seasons in the MLB from 1942-55, negotiated a club record $75,000 signing bonus with the Senators.

He served as a regular part of the starting rotation for the Senators from 1967-70 and then with the Detroit Tigers from 1971-76.

His best years came with the Tigers, finishing with a 88-73 record in 201 starts and 203 games pitched, a 3.82 ERA over 1,407.2 innings pitched and 1,000 strikeouts to 576 walks.

Coleman earned his sole All-Star nod in 1972, where he finished with a 19-14 record, a 2.80 ERA over 280.0 innings pitched and 222 strikeouts to 110 walks.

He also set a then-playoff record that season with 14 strikeouts in Game 3 of the ALCS vs. the Oakland Athletics. The Tigers would lose in five games, serving as the only postseason appearance of Coleman's career.

Coleman would also pitch for the Cubs (1976), the Athletics (1977-78), the Toronto Blue Jays (1978) and the San Francisco Giants (1979), before retiring after his stint with the Pirates.

He served as a bullpen and pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and the California and Anaheim Angels, plus other minor league clubs from 1980 through 2014.

His son Casey Coleman pitched for the Cubs from 2010-12 and the Kansas City Royals in 2014.