Jim Coates obit

James Alton "Jim" Coates Sr.

Thursday, August 4th, 1932 - Friday, November 15th, 2019 

He was not on the list.

James Alton "Jim" Coates, Sr., 87 of Lancaster, Virginia passed away November 15, 2019.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Callis Hughes also known as Dot Coates and "Boogie"; his children, James A, "Jimmy" Coates, Jr. (Alice), Jane Leigh Pribanic (Carl) and Mickey Charles Coates (Essie), step daughter, Candace Selkirk (Cole); eight grandchildren; five great grandchildren ; a sister Nita Coates Davis (B. J. ) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Henry A. Coates, Sr.; his mother, Ilva Lewis Schools; brother, Henry A. "Slim" Coates, Jr. and sister, Grace Norris.

Funeral services will be held 1:00 p. m. Sunday, November 24, 2019 at Corrottoman Baptist Church, Ottoman, Va. Interment will follow the service at Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Lively, Va. Family will receive friends 2-4 p. m. Saturday, November 23, 2019 at Currie Funeral Home, Kilmarnock, Virginia.

A little country boy with eyes of blue

Jim Coates was born August 4, 1932

Jim's mother was poor; 3 children, with no Dad

She made young Jim a baseball out of the things she had

She tore up old rags stuffed into a sock, so her son could play.

Jim threw it on the roof to play catch, day after day after day.

Later on he used walnuts with hulls and with those he would fire

Pretended he was a big league pitcher, throwing strikes through a tire.

When in high school his love of baseball had anything but diminished.

He walked 7 miles home from practice, to do his chores when he finished.

He pitched for Lively in the Chesapeake League and later for Warsaw he played.

In 49 Coach Billy Walker made a difference in his life by trying to persuade.

Told Jim he should tryout in Norfolk, where there was a NY Yankee camp.

Mr. Walker, son, Billy, Jr. and Jim decided that to Norfolk they would scamp.

In 52 Jim signed a contract with the Yankee scout, H. P. Dawson.

In the NY Penn League he threw 226 strikeouts. This was truly awesome.

Then a couple of more moves Jim made as he was refining his trade.

He made the Richmond Virginians where a 14-11 record he displayed.

He had one of the best arms around and he was 6'4'', strong and lean.

In 54 he signed with the Yankees. This was every boys dream.

The road to success in the majors was not exactly heaven.

Jim broke his arm and was out for 2 years in the summer of fifty-seven.

But in 1959 he was a Yankee starter and his heyday had begun

With an era of .288 and a record of 6-1.

In 1960 his fastball may have been the best around.

100 mph pitches sent him back to the dugout where they had to sit down.

A winning percentage of .813 was best in the league and 13 wins he compiled.

"Northern Neckers" were proud, NY fans too, and even Casey Stingel smiled.

As a boy I recall that team so clearly and for so many #1, it forever ranks.

Jim Coates was there; no one can take that away. He played with the 61 Yanks.

Played with Mickey and Roger Maris and he saw firsthand their homerun race

With Yogi, Whitey, Richardson and Clete; No where else was a more special place.

Two World Series rings, 61 and 62; two all-star games as well.

Jim Coates was a true professional and so many stories he has to tell.

He had a record of 37-15 with the NY Yanks, not shabby by any means.

A poor country boy from the Northern Neck had fulfilled a life of dreams.

The most wins in Yankee Stadium; Jim Coates you probably would not guess.

He was an unsung hero with a fearless will, Jim Coates' record is still the best.

After the Yanks, he played with Washington and then went on to the "Reds".

He even roomed with Pete Rose there. He said they didn't butt heads.

Later , played with the "Angels" for several years and in 1970 decided to retire.

He moved on back to Lancaster Co., his native home, to do whatever he desired.

He worked for many more years at various jobs because he was not the type to sit.

Then he took up golf and we have played so may rounds; in Jim there is not quit.

I've watched him in awe when he smashes a drive of 300 yards and more.

I've seen him drive par 4's in just one shot as we frantically had to yell "Fore".

His love of sports has carried over with a passionate desire to win at any game.

His greatest attribute is his fearlessness and his zest for life most certainly remains.

Elected to the VA Sports Hall of Fame and for many benefits he has played.

His charitable work has been unsurpassed and his "Big Heart" he has displayed. A member of the Major League Baseball Alumni, he travels thousands of miles each year.

To see some old-time teammates and participate in the many benefits he holds dear.

Yes, the good ol' boy made good and he's still the "Pride of the Northern Neck".

His humble pride is evident and for my boyhood hero I have great respect.

In 1960, Coates went 13–3 as a spot starter in Casey Stengel's much-maligned rotation. After winning his last five decisions in 1959 and his first nine this season, Coates finally had his winning streak broken against the Boston Red Sox on July 9, a 6–5 loss in which Vic Wertz drove in four of the runs. Coates was also named to the All-Star team, pitching two scoreless innings in the first of two games played that year (between 1959 and 1962, Major League Baseball had two All-Star games).

Coates was a member of the Yankee team that regained the American League pennant in 1960, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series in seven games. In Game 1, Coates gave up a home run by Bill Mazeroski for the deciding runs in the Pirates’ 6–4 victory. Before Ralph Terry gave up Mazeroski's second home run of this Series (the walk-off home run that won Game 7 10–9 for the Pirates and ended the Series), Coates himself was almost the scapegoat in the Yankees’ loss. With the Yankees ahead 7–5 with no outs (and one run in) in the eighth inning and Bill Virdon on second and Dick Groat on first, Coates relieved Bobby Shantz and got Bob Skinner out on a sacrifice bunt, which advanced the runners. Rocky Nelson then flew out to Roger Maris in right field, and Virdon declined to challenge Maris’ throwing arm. Coates then got to an 0–2 count on Roberto Clemente and was a strike away from getting the Yankees out of trouble.

However, a lapse by Coates allowed the Pirates to keep their inning alive. Clemente eventually chopped a ground ball toward first base, and Coates initially ran toward the ball instead of running directly to cover first base. First baseman Moose Skowron fielded the ball as Coates changed direction and ran to the first base bag. But the momentary delay enabled Clemente to reach the base right as Coates got there himself. Skowron was forced to hold on to the ball, and Virdon scored to cut the Yankee lead to 7–6. Coates then gave up a home run to Hal Smith to give the Pirates a 9–7 lead. Terry then relieved Coates and retired Don Hoak to finally end the inning. The Yankees got Coates off the hook by scoring twice in the top of the ninth to tie the game, only to lose on Mazeroski's home run off Terry in the bottom of the 9th. The Pirates had hit four home runs in this Series; Coates had given up two of them.

In 1961, Coates went 11–5 as a spot starter. Led by the hitting of Maris, Skowron, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, the infield defense of Clete Boyer, Tony Kubek and Bobby Richardson, and Whitey Ford's 25–4 season, the now-Ralph Houk-led Yankees (Stengel had been fired immediately after the 1960 World Series) won the World Series over the Cincinnati Reds in five games. Coates relieved Ford in Game 4 of the Series and pitched four scoreless innings for the save in a 7–0 Yankee win; Ford had left the game with an injury, but not without first breaking Babe Ruth's World Series record of 29+2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings.

In 1962, Coates went 7–6 for a Yankee team that repeated as World Series champions, defeating the San Francisco Giants in seven games. Coates was the losing pitcher in Game 4 but he threw 2+1⁄3 shutout innings in relief of Ford in Game 6. It would be Coates' last appearance in a New York uniform.

Traded away by the Yankees (for left-handed reliever Steve Hamilton) on April 21, 1963, Coates would pitch another 80 games for three MLB teams through 1967. His record was only 6–7 with a 4.48 ERA and two saves after leaving the Bronx, although as a starting pitcher for the Angels on August 14, 1966, he fired a four-hit, complete game shutout against the White Sox, the fourth whitewashing of his big-league career. He also put up several strong campaigns in the Pacific Coast League during his late career, including a 17-win season for the 1968 Seattle Angels. He retired at age 38 after the 1970 minor-league season, his 19th in professional baseball.

 

Teams

New York Yankees (1956, 1959–1962)

Washington Senators (1963)

Cincinnati Reds (1963)

Los Angeles/California Angels (1965–1967)

 

Career highlights and awards

2× All-Star (1960, 1960²)

2× World Series champion (1961, 1962)