KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Don Cooper knew how to get the most out of a pitcher.
And under his guidance, Chicago White Sox pitchers put together a run for the ages during the 2005 postseason on the way to winning the World Series.
The longtime former Sox pitching coach died at age 70, the team announced Wednesday.
“My career wouldn’t have been the same without Don Cooper,” Ozzie Guillen, who managed the 2005 World Series team after his major-league playing career, posted on social media. “Coop was one of a kind and taught me so much about pitchers, pitching and their mindset. Always a close friend to my kids and family.”
Cooper became the Sox pitching coach on July 22, 2002, and served in that role through 2020.
“He was a fixture,” former Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said in a conference call. “He was a motivator-type and a confidence-type guy. He could talk somebody up into thinking they were good. That’s really where I think his strength was.”
His 2005 pitching staff put together one of the most impressive postseason performances, compiling a 2.55 ERA while limiting the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros to a combined .202 average during an 11-1 run to the World Series title.
The quartet of Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy García and José Contreras recorded four straight complete-game victories over the final four games of the American League Championship Series against the Angels.
“A legendary coach and person,” said Sox general manager Chris Getz, who played for the team in 2008-09. “Someone who made such a mark on the Chicago White Sox. When I think of Don Cooper, I think of the players, the pitchers that pitched for him. The guys loved him.
“It was because they know how much he cared. He cared about them as individuals. He made so many pitchers better through the years. 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.”
As part of his 33 years in the organization, Cooper spent 15 seasons (1988-2002) in various coaching capacities in the Sox minor-league system, including six (1997-2002) as the pitching coordinator.
More Top Picks Vive Pro 2 Headset
“Loquacious and intelligent when it came to pitching,” former Sox manager Jerry Manuel said of Cooper. “I miss the conversations. You served your staff well.”
During his time, Sox pitchers threw perfect games (Buehrle and Philip Humber) and no-hitters (Buehrle and Lucas Giolito) and were fixtures at the All-Star Game.
“Coop had a way of communicating to pitching that was pretty much Coop,” longtime Sox broadcaster Steve Stone said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anybody quite do the way he wanted to do it. He was able to get his point across.
“The one thing that I’ll always remember about him is that I could sit down and have a really long conversation about even a tiny aspect of pitching, and he would have it all broken down.”
Cooper pitched for the Minnesota Twins (1981-82), Toronto Blue Jays (1983) and New York Yankees (1985) over four major-league seasons, going 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA in 44 games. He earned his only major-league win for the Twins on Sept. 2, 1982, against the Yankees.
The Sox hired him as the Class A South Bend pitching coach before the 1988 season. He eventually made it to the major-league staff, aiding three postseason squads.
“I spent a lot of time with Super Coop. He was with me from the minors to the majors. His humor and coolness helped me many of days in my career,” former Sox slugger Frank Thomas posted. “By the way he was one hell of a pitching coach!”
The Sox posted, “Forever in our thoughts,” as part of their announcement on social media.
“This game is hard and you are faced with adversity and you need to have a level of toughness,” Getz said, “and Coop really brought that and brought that out of his pitchers. It’s something that maybe doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
“When pitchers reflect back on their careers, they really remember how he made them feel. And that’s going to be something that will never be forgotten.”