#246 Joe Coleman - Washington Senators

Joseph Howard Coleman
Washington Senators
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  175
Born:  February 3, 1947, Boston, MA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Washington Senators in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1965 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1965-1970; Detroit Tigers 1971-1976; Chicago Cubs 1976; Oakland Athletics 1976-1978; Toronto Blue Jays 1978; San Francisco Giants 1979; Pittsburgh Pirates 1979

Joe Coleman is the middle link of three generations who spent time playing in the major leagues.  Coleman was drafted by the Senators, making his big league debut four months following his high school graduation at the age of 18.  He'd come to the majors for good in 1967, winning 12 games in each of the 1968 and 1969 seasons.  Dealt to the Tigers in October 1970 as part of an eight-player deal, Coleman had the best seasons of his career while in Detroit.  He pitched in at least 280 innings four seasons in a row between 1971 and 1974, winning 20 games in 1971 and 23 games in 1973.  He was named an American League All-Star in 1972.  Coleman struggled with his control throughout his career, and his 158 walks in 1974 set a Tigers single-season record.  He led the league in wild pitches once, and batters hit by pitch twice.

Coleman left Detroit in June 1976, and he'd bounce around a bit for the next three and half seasons, last appearing in the majors in 1979.  He'd continue to pitch in the minor league systems of the Mariners and Angels through 1982.  Coleman served as the bullpen coach for the Angels between 1987 and 1990, and the pitching coach for the Cardinals between 1991 and 1994.  He'd rejoin the Angels coaching staff between 1996 and 1999, then coach in the minor leagues up until the mid-2010s.  Coleman had a lifetime record of 142-135 with a 3.70 ERA and 1,728 strikeouts.  His father, also Joe Coleman, pitched for the Athletics (1942, 1946-1951, 1953), Orioles (1954-1955) and Tigers (1955).  His son, Casey Coleman, pitched for the Cubs (2010-2012) and Royals (2014).

Building the Set / Card #239
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 162nd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Photos for Coleman's 1967, 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were likely taken at the same time.  The elder Coleman makes a cameo on the back of the card in the cartoon, and Coleman's success as a Senators pitcher in 1968 is highlighted in the write-up.

Accuracy Index:  Coleman's card scores a +5 for the accurate depiction in a Senators uniform.

1969 Season
Only 22 years old and pitching in his third full major league season, Coleman was 12-13 with a 3.27 ERA for the Senators.  He was the most frequently used tarting pitcher by Senators' manager Ted Williams (#650), making 36 starts.  Mired in a slump, Coleman turned his season around in July with five consecutive complete games, which included three consecutive shutouts.  At one point he owned a career-best 32 1/3 consecutive inning scoreless streak.

1966 Topps #333

1970 Topps #127

1975 Topps #42

1978 Topps #554

1980 Topps #542

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #333
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1966-1980
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1980 Topps #542
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  80 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#245 Ed Charles - New York Mets / #247 Gene Oliver - Chicago Cubs