Jim Coates
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1967)
Jim Coates was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1967 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 12 seasons. Across 247 career appearances, he went 43-22 with a 4.00 ERA and 396 strikeouts. Jim Coates was an All-Star.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 192 lb
- Died
- 11/15/2019 in Lancaster, VA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1956-09-21
- Last Game
- 1967-09-30
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: James Alton Coates
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | NYA | AL | 6 | 1 | 37 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.1 | 89 | 32 | 36 | 64 | 2.87 | 3.90 (+26%) | 448.3 |
| 1960 | NYA | AL | 13 | 3 | 35 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 149.1 | 139 | 71 | 66 | 73 | 4.28 | 3.82 (-12%) | -1833.4 |
| 1961 | NYA | AL | 11 | 5 | 43 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 141.1 | 128 | 54 | 53 | 80 | 3.44 | 4.03 (+15%) | -243.2 |
| 1962 | NYA | AL | 7 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 117.2 | 119 | 58 | 50 | 67 | 4.44 | 3.96 (-12%) | 241.9 |
| 1963 | WS2 | AL | 2 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44.1 | 51 | 26 | 21 | 31 | 5.28 | 3.46 (-53%) | -463.9 |
| 1963 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 5.51 | 3.46 (-59%) | -224.9 |
| 1965 | CAL | AL | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 28.0 | 23 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 3.54 | 3.50 (-1%) | -87.9 |
| 1966 | CAL | AL | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31.2 | 32 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 3.98 | 3.52 (-13%) | -160.3 |
| 1967 | CAL | AL | 1 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.1 | 47 | 25 | 23 | 39 | 4.30 | 3.30 (-30%) | -699.9 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 43 | 22 | 247 | 46 | 13 | 4 | 15 | 683.1 | 650 | 304 | 286 | 396 | 4.00 | — | -3,023 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | 160 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 93 | .131 | .168 | .163 | .330 | -92 |
Career AVG .131 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 47.8% below league average.
Career OBP .168 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 47.3% below league average.
Career SLG .163 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 57.5% below league average.
Career OPS .330 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | NYA | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | NYA | AL | 37 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .095 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | NYA | AL | 35 | 48 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -91.8 |
| 1961 | NYA | AL | 43 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | .029 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | NYA | AL | 50 | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | WS2 | AL | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CIN | NL | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1965 | CAL | AL | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CAL | AL | 9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | CAL | AL | 25 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 247 | 160 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 93 | .131 | — | — | — | — | -92 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (494 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 121 | 84 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3 | .131 |
| Away | 126 | 76 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 4 | .132 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 121 | 359.2 | 294 | 126 | 139 | 208 | 3.15 |
| Away | 126 | 323.2 | 356 | 179 | 147 | 188 | 4.98 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-30 | LAA | DET | — | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-26 | LAA | MIN | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967-09-22 | LAA | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1967-09-20 | LAA | CHW | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967-08-28 | LAA | DET | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1967-08-21 | LAA | CLE | W | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1967-08-19 | LAA | BOS | L | 1.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-08-18 | LAA | BOS | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967-08-15 | LAA | MIN | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967-08-08 | LAA | NYY | — | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | NYA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | NYA | P | 37 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| 1960 | NYA | P | 35 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 1 |
| 1961 | NYA | P | 43 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 2 | 2 |
| 1962 | NYA | P | 50 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 1963 | WS2 | P | 20 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963 | CIN | P | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | CAL | P | 17 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1966 | CAL | P | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | CAL | P | 25 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 247 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jim Coates (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jim Coates: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 21, 1956 and the final game on September 30, 1967, Jim Coates built the record summarized on this page. Coates played for the New York Yankees (1956 to 1962), the Washington Senators (1963), the Cincinnati Reds (1963), and the California Angels (1965 through 1967). At 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, Coates is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Coates threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is August 4, 1932, in Farnham, VA, USA. The bio records the death on November 15, 2019, in Lancaster, VA, USA. The given name on file is James Alton Coates.
Coates pitched in 247 games, starting 46, and finished with a 43-22 record and 4.00 ERA. Also on Coates's record: 396 strikeouts, 13 complete games, and 15 saves. Against a 3.70 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.00 mark was 8.3% worse. No season topped the 13 wins of 1960. Coates struck out 80 batters in 1961, a career high.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Coates
- What years did Jim Coates play?
- Jim Coates played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1967.
- Was Jim Coates a pitcher?
- Yes. Jim Coates pitched in the major leagues, recording 43 wins and 396 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Jim Coates hit?
- Jim Coates hit 0 career home runs with 21 hits.
- What teams did Jim Coates play for?
- Jim Coates played for 4 teams: the New York Yankees (1956, 1959–1962), the Washington Senators (1963), the Cincinnati Reds (1963), and the California Angels (1965–1967).
- Did Jim Coates win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Jim Coates did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Jim Coates win?
- Jim Coates was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Jim Coates's career stats?
- In 247 games, Jim Coates went 43-22 with a 4.00 ERA, 396 strikeouts, 683.1 innings pitched, and 15 saves.
- What position did Jim Coates play?
- Jim Coates played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jim Coates and how much did he weigh?
- Jim Coates was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 192 pounds.
- What was Jim Coates's career ERA?
- Jim Coates finished with a 4.00 career ERA, going 43-22 with 396 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Jim Coates have?
- Jim Coates recorded 396 career strikeouts.
- Is Jim Coates in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jim Coates has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jim Coates make?
- Jim Coates was selected to 1 All-Star Game.