Andy Kosco obit

Former Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers Outfielder Dies

The veteran of 10 MLB seasons replaced Mickey Mantle in the future Hall of Famer's final game, and played for the 'Big Red Machine' in the 1970s.

 

He was not on the list.

Andy Kosco, an outfielder who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, died Friday. He was 84.

Kosco debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 1965 and played 23 games for the eventual American League pennant winners. He would go on to play 658 games in his career for the Twins, New York Yankees (1968), Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-70), Milwaukee Brewers (1971), California Angels (1972), Boston Red Sox (1972), and Cincinnati Reds (1973-74).

Mostly a reserve outfielder, Kosco retired with 73 home runs, 267 RBIs and a .236 batting average. He did not become an everyday player until 1968, when he played 131 games for the Yankees. Kosco hit 15 home runs and drove in 59 that season, primarily as the team's right fielder.

On Sept. 28, 1968, Kosco replaced future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle at first base in Mantle's final major league game at Fenway Park in Boston.

“You cannot imagine the thrill it is to put on a Yankee uniform and play in Yankee Stadium,” Kosco told the Tuscaloosa News in March 1969. “And you have to be around [Mickey] Mantle every day to appreciate what he is — the most courageous man I have ever seen.”

In December of that year, Kosco was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Mike Kekich. Kosco set career highs in home runs (19) and RBIs (74) in 120 games with the Dodgers in 1969.

In February 1971, Kosco was traded by the Dodgers to the Milwaukee Brewers for Al Downing — the first of four trades in a two-year span. He appeared in 164 games from 1971-72 with the Brewers, Angels and Red Sox before playing his final two seasons with the Reds.

The Reds were among the best National League teams at the time, and Kosco appeared in his only postseason series with Cincinnati. He went 3-for-10 at the plate in the 1973 National League Championship Series series against the New York Mets.

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Kosco returned to his hometown after his baseball career ended. He worked for the Goulish-Kosco Insurance agency, where he later became the owner and expanded the business to multiple offices in Struthers and Boardman. While working, he earned a bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University.

Kosco is survived by his wife Cathy, their five children, as well as two siblings and 12 grandchildren.

While at Struthers High School in Struthers, OH, Kosco was dominant at many sports. He averaged 25 points a game in basketball, and as a senior he had a .715 batting average. Michigan State University offered to have him play baseball and basketball, while Ohio State University offered for him to play baseball and football.

As sports author Jim Thielman notes, it was common at the time for baseball's commissioner to have input on World Series rosters, and Commissioner Ford Frick suggested the Twins bring their roster to 25 men by dropping a player who had not participated for the entire season. As a late-season replacement who played in the outfield, where the Twins were well-stocked with veterans, Kosco was kept off the World Series roster