Former New York Yankees pitcher Don Cooper, later a World Series-winning White Sox pitching coach, has died at 70.
Donald James Cooper, a New York City native drafted by the Yankees and who closed his brief major-league playing career in pinstripes, died September 22, 2026, at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee.
His family announced the death the following day; no cause was given.
Born January 15, 1956, Cooper attended Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School and the New York Institute of Technology. The Yankees selected him in the 17th round of the 1978 draft.
After time in their farm system—including a no-hitter in the minors—he was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 draft. He debuted with Minnesota in 1981, later pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, and returned to the Yankees for his final big-league season in 1985.
Over four seasons, he went 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA in 44 games (three starts) and 47 strikeouts. His last appearance came June 2, 1985.
Cooper’s greater impact came after he left the mound. He joined the Chicago White Sox organization as a minor-league pitching coach in 1988 and spent 14 years developing arms before becoming the major-league pitching coach in July 2002. He held the job for 18 seasons under four managers, one of the longest tenures in the role.
His signature achievement was the 2005 White Sox staff that ended an 88-year championship drought.
In the American League Championship Series, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy García and José Contreras threw four consecutive complete games—the first time a team had done so in the postseason since the 1928 Yankees.
Chicago then swept the Houston Astros for the franchise’s first World Series title since 1917. The staff posted a 2.55 ERA in an 11-1 playoff run. Cooper also oversaw later no-hitters and a perfect game by Mark Buehrle. He left the organization after the 2020 season.
Former manager Ozzie Guillén wrote that his own career “wouldn’t have been the same without Don Cooper,” calling him “one of a kind.”
Pitchers and teammates remembered a coach who mixed old-school intensity with personal care. The White Sox issued a statement honoring his 33 seasons in the organization.
Cooper is survived by his wife and three children. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of the initial reports.
For Yankees fans he remains a footnote from the mid-1980s; for White Sox fans he is part of the 2005 championship story. Baseball remembered a lifer who spent far more years teaching pitchers than he spent as one.
