Minnesota Twins Signed Jerry koosman game used jersey 1980 Set 1

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This is the Minnesota Twins jersey of Kerry Koosman dated 1980 Set 1. The jersey is signed on the front and back and is JSA cert E85961. The jersey is a Wilson size 46. Jerome Martin Koosman (born December 23, 1942, his last name was originally Koosmann) is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets , Minnesota Twins , Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1967 and 1985. He was generally considered the #2 starter on the Miracle Mets (behind Tom Seaver ) when they won the World Series in 1969 . New York Mets Rookie Year Koosman was discovered by the son of a Shea Stadium usher who caught Koosman when he pitched in the Army at Fort Bliss Texas, he had written to his dad about Koosman. The Mets offered Koosman a contract after his discharge. [1 ] Koosman was about to be cut from the Mets in 1966, when Joe McDonald , the Assistant farm director requested Koosman be retained at least until his first payday as he owed the Mets money they had wired him after his car broke down en-route to spring training .[ 1] After leading all International League pitchers in strikeouts in 1967 , Koosman broke into the Mets’ rotation in 1968 . He posted a 19-12 record with seven shutouts , 178 strikeouts and a 2.08 earned run average . The wins, shutouts, and ERA set franchise records, breaking those set by mound mate Tom Seaver just the year before. Koosman also made the first of two All-Star teams in his career. The National League won the game 1-0 (to date, the only All-Star Game to end in a 1-0 score) in this, the “Year of the Pitcher.” Koosman pitched a scoreless ninth for the save , striking out Carl Yastrzemski for the final out. Koosman would be named to the 1968 Topps All-Star Rookie Roster and finish runner-up to Johnny Bench for the National League Rookie of the Year honors. The Miracle Mets In 1969 Koosman posted a 17-9 record with a 2.28 ERA and 180 strikeouts in making a second All-Star appearance. That year, he was a member of the Mets team that unexpectedly won the National League East title (both leagues were now split into two divisions after expanding from ten teams to 12) after not only finishing dead last in five of their first seven seasons, but also trailing the Chicago Cubs for much of this season, by as many as 9½ games on August 13. The day before, Koosman had lost to the Houston Astros to fall to 9-8; he would win eight of his final nine decisions.In Game Two of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves , Koosman was shelled for six runs in 4⅔ innings (including a Hank Aaron three-run homer). The Mets won 11–6, however, then won the next game to complete the series' sweep.Koosman was the pitching star of the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles . After Seaver was defeated in Game One, Koosman, leading 1-0, held the Orioles hitless until Paul Blair singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning, eventually scoring on Brooks Robinson ’s only hit in 19 Series' at-bats. The Mets regained the lead in the top of the ninth; Koosman got two outs in the bottom of the frame, then walked the next two batters, when he was relieved by Ron Taylor who induced Robinson to ground out to end the game.With the Series shifting from Memorial Stadium to Shea Stadium for the next three games, the Mets won Games Three and Four, and Koosman took the mound for Game Five. He fell behind 3-0 in the third inning after giving up home runs to his mound opponent, Dave McNally , and Frank Robinson . The Mets, however, cut into the Oriole lead on Donn Clendenon ’s two-run home run in the sixth, then tied the game in the seventh on a homer by Al Weis , who had hit only six career homers at that point—none of which had been in a home game. The New Yorkers scored two runs in the eighth to take the lead, and after walking Frank Robinson to lead off the ninth, Koosman retired the next three hitters to end the game and complete the Mets’ improbable World Series win. Game ball for game 5 After catching Da... read more

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