- Andy Cooper
Andrew Lewis Cooper (April 24, 1898 - June 3, 1941), nicknamed "Lefty", he was an American left-handed
pitcher , who hit right-handed, inbaseball 's Negro Leagues. He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in February 2006.Born in
Waco, Texas , Cooper played nine seasons for theDetroit Stars and ten seasons for theKansas City Monarchs , which he also managed from 1928 to 1940, winning the pennant a number of times. The tall Texan was 6'2" tall and weighed 220 lbs. He holds the Negro League career record for saves (29).Cooper pitched for the Stars in 1920-27 before he was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs for five players in 1928. He posted a 116-57 record, good for a .671 winning percentage and went 72-30 over a six-year span. One of his best years was 1936, when he went 27-8 against all levels of competition. He often pitched three games in a five-game series, starting two and relieving another. Cooper's equivalent record per season is 16-8.
"Lefty" studied the hitters carefully and threw a variety of pitches at varying speeds. He sharpened sinkers, sliders, and screwballs. He had excellent control and could nibble at the corners to make the off-balanced batters all but get themselves out.
According to news reports in the Chicago "Defender", Cooper reportedly suffered a stroke early in the 1941 pre-season. He left for his home in Waco to rest and recover, leaving
Newt Allen as intirim manager, but suffered a fatal heart attack on June 3, never having returned to the Monarchs.External links
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