Joe Coleman (baseball, born 1922)

A native of Medford, Massachusetts, Coleman attended Malden Catholic High School, where he was coached by Brother Gilbert Mathias, who had mentored Babe Ruth as a youth in Baltimore. In 1940, Mathias introduced Coleman to Ruth, who was visiting the school. Coleman missed the 1943–1945 seasons while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Along with other notable major league baseball players including Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky, Coleman enlisted in the Navy's Aviation Cadet Training Program located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. He finished 19th in voting for the 1954 American League Most Valuable Player Award for having a 13–17 win–loss record, in 33 games with 15 complete games, 4 shutouts, innings pitched, 103 strikeouts, and a 3.50 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles. In 10 seasons he had a 52–76 win–loss record and 6 saves in 223 games, 140 of them starts, 60 complete games, 11 shutouts, 55 games finished, 1,134 innings pitched, 566 walks allowed, 444 strikeouts, and a 4.38 ERA. == Death ==

Coleman died in Fort Myers, Florida, at the age of 74 in 1997. ==See also==