Don Cooper, who made his major-league debut with the Minnesota Twins and later became one of baseball’s most recognizable pitching coaches, died Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was 70.
His family said he died peacefully. No cause of death was released.
Cooper, a New York City native born Jan. 15, 1956, reached the majors after the Twins selected him from the New York Yankees in the 1980 Rule 5 draft.
He debuted on April 9, 1981, and spent parts of two seasons in Minnesota, mostly as a reliever. As a rookie he made 27 appearances with a 4.30 ERA.
His only big-league win came on Sept. 2, 1982, against the Yankees. After 1982 the Twins traded him to Toronto.
He later finished his playing career with a brief 1985 stint back with the Yankees. Overall he went 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 44 games.
His longer mark on the game came after he left the mound. Cooper joined the Chicago White Sox organization as a minor-league pitching coach in 1988 and spent 33 seasons there.
He became the major-league pitching coach in July 2002 and held the job through 2020 under four managers.
His best-known work came in 2005, when Chicago’s starters — Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy García and José Contreras — threw four straight complete games in the American League Championship Series, a feat last seen from the 1928 Yankees.
The White Sox then swept Houston for their first World Series title since 1917.
Under Cooper, Buehrle and Philip Humber threw perfect games, Buehrle added a no-hitter, and Lucas Giolito threw a no-hitter in Cooper’s final season. He also helped shape Chris Sale early in Sale’s career.
Former manager Ozzie Guillén said his own career “wouldn’t have been the same” without Cooper. The White Sox called him “forever in our thoughts.”
Cooper is survived by his wife, Ruby, and their three children. Funeral arrangements had not been announced.
For Twins fans, he is a short chapter from the early 1980s. Across baseball, he is remembered as a coach who turned a rotation into champions.
