Story thread · 8 reports / 8 sources

Longtime White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper dies at 70

nbcchicago.com · 12h · first reportShare

Don Cooper, who served as pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox when they won the 2005 World Series, has died at the age of 70. Cooper worked for the White Sox organization for more than 30 seasons, including 18 as their pitching coach. His best work was undoubtedly during the 2005 season, when the team posted a 3.61 ERA and ultimately won a World Series title, with the team’s starting staff combining for four complete games during that playoff run. Mark Buehrle, a key member of that pitching staff, threw a perfect game and a no-hitter with Cooper as the team’s pitching coach. Philip Humber also threw a perfect game for the White Sox during that tenure, and Lucas Giolito threw a no-hitter in 2020, Cooper’s final season with the team. Cooper served as interim manager for the White Sox for the final two games of the 2011 after the resignation of Ozzie Guillen, and ultimately was with the team through the end of the 2020 campaign, when he and manager Rick Renteria were relieved of thei