Jerry Koosman, the durable left-hander who brought championship experience to the Chicago White Sox in the early 1980s, died Sunday at his home in Osceola, Wisconsin. He was 83.
Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Koosman had battled multiple illnesses for about a year before dying of heart failure, surrounded by his children.
While best known for his 12 seasons with the New York Mets—where he teamed with Tom Seaver to anchor the 1969 “Miracle Mets” and threw the complete-game clincher in Game 5 of the World Series—Koosman spent three seasons on the South Side. T
he Twins traded him to Chicago on August 30, 1981, shortly after the players’ strike ended. The Sox, looking for a veteran arm for a playoff push, acquired the Minnesota native in exchange for minor leaguers and cash. Koosman was initially reluctant to leave his home-state team.
In limited action that strike-shortened year, he went 1-4 with a 3.33 ERA in eight appearances (three starts).
He settled in as a versatile presence under manager Tony La Russa. In 1982, the 39-year-old posted an 11-7 record with a 3.84 ERA across 42 games (19 starts), logging 173⅓ innings with three saves and one shutout.
He matched the 11-7 mark in 1983, making 24 starts in 37 appearances with a 4.77 ERA over 169⅔ innings.
That 1983 club captured the American League West—the franchise’s first postseason berth since the 1959 World Series—before falling to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.
Koosman provided veteran steadiness in the rotation and bullpen for a young, rising team that included LaMarr Hoyt, Richard Dotson, and a deep lineup led by Carlton Fisk and Ron Kittle.
He appeared briefly in the ALCS, facing one batter in relief.
Across 87 games (46 starts) with the White Sox, Koosman finished 23-18 with a 4.23 ERA in 370 innings.
After the 1983 season the Sox traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he pitched two more years before retiring following the 1985 campaign at age 42.
Overall, the Appleton, Minnesota, native compiled a 222-209 record with a 3.36 ERA and 2,556 strikeouts in 19 major-league seasons.
He was a two-time All-Star, a 20-game winner twice, and had his number 36 retired by the Mets in 2021.
For White Sox fans, he remains the experienced left-hander who helped bridge the franchise’s long postseason drought and contributed to the memorable 1983 division title.
