Don Cooper’s baseball life stretched far beyond the 44 big league games he pitched for three teams. The former Yankees, Blue Jays and Twins right-hander, who went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Chicago White Sox organization, died at 70.
Cooper’s greatest impact came after his playing days. He spent 33 seasons with the White Sox from 1988 through 2020, including 18 seasons as the club’s pitching coach. Under his watch, Chicago won the 2005 World Series and became the first team since the 1928 New York Yankees to throw four straight complete games in one postseason.
“He made so many pitchers better through the years,” former White Sox second baseman and current general manager Chris Getz told the team’s website. “He had that Northeast very direct personality that resonated really well within the White Sox culture and clubhouse and I think fans adored him as well.”
Before he became a fixture on the White Sox staff, Cooper’s playing career took him through the Yankees, Twins and Blue Jays organizations. New York picked him in the 17th round out of the New York Institute of Technology in 1978. Minnesota then selected him in the 1980 Rule 5 draft, and he reached the majors with the Twins in 1981, making 27 appearances and two starts while going 1-5 with a 4.30 ERA.
The Twins dealt him to Toronto in December 1982 for Dave Baker. Cooper spent much of 1983 with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, where he worked out of the bullpen and went 10-5 with a 3.21 ERA. He appeared in four games for Toronto and gave up four runs in 5.1 innings, finishing with a 6.75 ERA for the Jays.
Toronto later sent him back to the Yankees in March 1984 in exchange for minor league outfielder Derwin McNealy. Cooper wrapped up his major league career with seven relief appearances for New York in 1985, then spent his final two seasons in the minors in 1986 and 1987. His big league line ended at 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA.
The real legacy, though, was on the mound and in the dugout as a coach. Former White Sox executive Ken Williams put it bluntly: “I will always believe him to be one of the best pitching coaches the game has seen,”
The White Sox also paid tribute to Cooper on social media, noting his long run in the organization and offering condolences to his family, friends and fans.
His influence showed up in the numbers, too. From 2003 through 2020, White Sox pitching staffs ranked fourth in baseball in FanGraphs’ version of WAR, even as the team cycled through different aces from Mark Buehrle to Chris Sale and dealt with uneven offense.
And for those who worked with him, Cooper was remembered just as much for the person as the coach. Former players, the source said, fondly recalled his personality.
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