What years did Don Cooper play?

Don Cooper played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1985.

Was Don Cooper a pitcher?

Yes. Don Cooper pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 47 strikeouts.

What was Don Cooper's career ERA?

Don Cooper finished with a 5.27 career ERA, going 1-6 with 47 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Don Cooper have?

Don Cooper recorded 47 career strikeouts.

Is Don Cooper in the Hall of Fame?

No. Don Cooper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Don Cooper

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1985)

Don Cooper was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Yankees, a span of 5 seasons. Across 44 career appearances, he went 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA and 47 strikeouts.

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 October 12, 2026

W–L 1–6

ERA 5.27

WHIP 1.65

SO 47

Pitcher PIV -2930.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 185 lb
Born: 1/15/1956 in New York, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1981-04-09
Last Game: 1985-06-02

Full name: Donald James Cooper

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Don Cooper — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
1	6	44	3	0	0	0	85.1	95	50	14	46	47	5.27	-2930.8

Career ERA 5.27 vs. league average 3.82 across their career seasons — 37.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Cooper — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1981	MIN	AL	1	5	27	2	58.2	61	28	32	33	4.30	3.58 (-20%)	-2307.9
1982	MIN	AL	0	1	6	1	11.1	14	12	11	5	9.53	3.86 (-147%)	-250.2
1983	TOR	AL	0	0	4	0	5.1	8	4	0	5	6.75	—	0.0
1985	NYA	AL	0	0	7	0	10.0	12	6	3	4	5.40	3.89 (-39%)	-372.7
Career · 4 seasons			1	6	44	3	85.1	95	50	46	47	5.27	—	-2,931

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

Don Cooper — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
44	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Cooper — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1981	MIN	AL	27	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	MIN	AL	6	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	TOR	AL	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	NYA	AL	7	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 4 seasons			44	—	—	—	—	—	0

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (88 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Don Cooper — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	24	0	0	0	0	0	—
Away	20	0	0	0	0	0	—

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Cooper — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	24	50.2	53	32	26	26	5.68
Away	20	34.2	42	18	20	21	4.67

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Cooper — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1985-06-02	NYY	SEA	—	2.0	3	2	2	0	0	1
1985-05-21	NYY	SEA	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0
1985-05-17	NYY	LAA	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0
1985-05-13	NYY	MIN	—	1.0	2	3	3	1	1	1
1985-05-08	NYY	MIN	—	3.1	3	1	1	1	1	0
1985-04-30	NYY	TEX	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0
1985-04-27	NYY	CHW	—	0.2	1	0	0	1	1	0
1983-10-02	TOR	MIN	—	1.2	3	1	1	0	1	1
1983-09-27	TOR	LAA	—	2.1	3	1	1	0	1	1
1983-09-16	TOR	MIN	—	1.0	2	2	2	0	2	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Cooper — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	44	3	2	7	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Cooper — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A
1981	MIN	P	27	2	1	6
1982	MIN	P	6	1	1	1
1983	TOR	P	4	0	0	0
1985	NYA	P	7	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Cooper — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	44

College History

Don Cooper — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
New York Institute of Technology	Old Westbury	NY	1975, 1976, 1977

Don Cooper: the record in brief

The profile opens with Don Cooper's first major league game on April 9, 1981; the last one listed came on June 2, 1985. The team column moves through the Minnesota Twins (1981 to 1982), the Toronto Blue Jays (1983), and the New York Yankees (1985). Cooper played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on January 15, 1956, in New York, NY, USA, Cooper was listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio lists the given name Donald James.

Cooper went 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA in 44 games, 3 of them starts. The same table counts 47 strikeouts. The league ERA over Cooper's seasons was 3.82, so the 5.27 figure ran 37.9% worse than average. In 1981, one of the busiest seasons, Cooper posted a 4.30 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.58.

Cooper appears at one position only: pitcher, in 44 games. On the mound, Cooper's fielding totals are 2 putouts, 7 assists and 0 errors.

Before the majors, Cooper played college baseball at New York Institute of Technology (1975, 1976, and 1977). A separate manager page covers Cooper's time running a club. The game-log section draws on 88 games of Retrosheet box scores for Cooper.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Cooper

What years did Don Cooper play?: Don Cooper played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1985.
Was Don Cooper a pitcher?: Yes. Don Cooper pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 47 strikeouts.
What was Don Cooper's career ERA?: Don Cooper finished with a 5.27 career ERA, going 1-6 with 47 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Cooper have?: Don Cooper recorded 47 career strikeouts.
Is Don Cooper in the Hall of Fame?: No. Don Cooper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
What teams did Don Cooper play for?: Don Cooper played for the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Yankees.