Little Known Pirates: Joe Coleman
When you think of the 1979 World Series Championship Pirates, many different names come to mind. Guys like Willie Stargell, Omar Moreno, and Manny Sanguillen are names that are immortalized in Pirates' history. However, it takes an entire team effort to get to the World Series, and there are several names on that team that aren't as recognizable. One of those guys is relief pitcher Joe Coleman, who the Pirates brought over in free agency early that season. Coleman did not pitch in any post-season games but came on in relief in August and September as the Pirates were clinching that playoff berth.
Coleman is more known for the time he spent with both the Washington Senators (1965 - 1970) and Detroit Tigers (1971 - 1976). He was 32-years old when he came to the Pirates and was looking for one last taste of a playoff run. He may have not pitched in the World Series for the Pirates, but he gave some key guys extra days off that they might not have gotten had he not been there. That 1979 season was his final in the Big Leagues and his last appearance for the Pirates came on September 24th, 1979. Today, we look at Coleman's Pirates career as part of our series of little known Pirates players.
The Move to Pittsburgh
After several strong seasons in both Washington and Detroit, Coleman was coming to the end of his career in 1979. He had played for four different teams over the previous four seasons including the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants. He never really caught on with any of those team's bullpens combining to go 13-17 with a 3.77 ERA over that span. His control was starting to fail him as he walked 10% of the batters he faced. He signed with the Giants at the beginning of the 1979 season, but only appeared in five games before being released in late April.
It looked like his career was over, but the Pittsburgh Pirates swooped in and signed the right-hander as a Free Agent. Coleman signed with the Pirates on May 8th, 1979, but didn't make his Pirates debut until July 23rd, 1979. He ended up giving up two unearned runs in one inning of work while walking one and striking out one. He would end up appearing in three of the next four games and pitched pretty well posting a 2.70 ERA over his first 6.2 innings in a Pirates uniform. August started out strong, as he gave up just one earned run in two innings of work on August 5th against the Philadelphia Phillies, however, things would quickly take a turn for the worst.
On August 7th, 1979, Coleman came in relief against the Chicago Cubs and got knocked around. He threw 5.1 innings of work and gave up nine runs, eight earned, on 13 hits while walking four and striking out four. It was his worst outing of the season and shot his ERA up to a staggering 6.42. That would elevate his ERA for the rest of the season and it was hard for him to bring it down. He would allow just one earned run over his next four outings, but only covered 4.1 innings of work. With the Pirates already in the playoffs, Coleman made his final appearance on September 24th, 1979. The Pirates fell to Montreal, and Coleman finished the year throwing 2.1 innings of work giving up two earned runs while walking two batters. Coleman would remain a member of the Pirates, but never appeared in any playoff game or World Series. Coleman retired following the 1979 season-ending what was a 15-year Big League career.
A Baseball Life
Even after Coleman retired following the 1979 season, he continued his baseball career as a coach. Coleman would begin his coaching career in the early 1980s with the Spokane Indians of the Los Angeles Angels organization. He was the pitching coach for the Spokane Indians and manager for the Peoria Chiefs. He would make his Major League coaching debut in 1987 when he served as a bullpen coach for the Angels. 1991 saw him move to the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he served as the pitching coach until 1994. He was in the Major Leagues until 1997 and jumped around the Minor Leagues throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. In 2014, Coleman marked his 50th season working as a player, coach, scout, or front office personnel in Major League Baseball. He and his wife live in Lakeland, Florida during the off-season.
While he might not be the most famous Pirates on the 1979 team, Coleman was still a part of the team that brought their last World Series back to Pittsburgh. He is a baseball man through and through and has always been a part of winning baseball. Whether it be as a player or a coach, Coleman was a student of the game and passed that on to his young players. When he was manager in Peoria, he was quoted as saying "Some crazy things have happened, but it's constant. I go to the ballpark every day and expect something crazy to happen that day." Baseball is a crazy game, and Coleman was part of a crazy team in Pittsburgh that brought championship gold to the steel town.
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