Hy Cohen

Hyman Cohen (January 29, 1931 – February 4, 2021) was an American baseball pitcher who played seven games for the Chicago Cubs in one season of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1955. He batted and threw right-handed and served as a relief pitcher.

Cohen was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1948 and played for one of their minor league affiliates until 1949, when the Chicago Cubs drafted him in that year's minor league draft. After spending two seasons with the organization, he was drafted into the US Army. As a result, he missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Upon his return, he pitched in the minors until 1955, when the Cubs promoted him to the major leagues. He played his last game on June 2, 1955. He subsequently worked as a teacher and coach at Birmingham High School.

Early life Cohen was born in Brooklyn on January 29, 1931. His family was Jewish and both of his parents were Polish immigrants. His father, Joseph, immigrated from Warsaw, while his mother, Bessie, was originally from Brest-Litovsk. One of his childhood idols was Harry Danning, the catcher for the New York Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Cohen attended Thomas Jefferson High School before studying at Brooklyn College. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees before the 1948 season. During his first year with the team, he finished with a 7–5 win–loss record and a 5.50 earned run average (ERA) in 72 innings pitched. In his second season, he had a 11–15 record, a 3.33 ERA, and 148 strikeouts over 192 innings.

Chicago Cubs Cohen made his MLB debut on April 17, 1955, relieving Harry Perkowski and giving up seven earned runs and striking out two over seven innings in a 14–1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. His best performance came during his second game on April 27, in which he held the Pittsburgh Pirates to one hit and one walk across three scoreless innings. He played five more games for the Cubs. Cohen played his final major league game on June 2, 1955, at the age of 24. He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the minor league draft at the end of that same year. He played the first part of the 1958 season with the Nashville Volunteers, where he had a 2–6 win–loss record, a 8.51 ERA, and 8 strikeouts over 37 innings. His contract was subsequently purchased by the Toronto Maple Leafs for $50,000. Jack Kent Cooke, the owner of the Leafs, wanted to sign a Jewish player to drum up support for the team from the city's sizable Jewish population. Cohen ultimately pitched only five games for the club before discomfort in his arm caused him to retire from professional baseball in 1958.

Later life After retiring from baseball, Cohen went back to school at California State University, Los Angeles, and obtained a Master of Education in 1966. He proceeded to teach social studies and physical education at Birmingham High School in Los Angeles. He also coached the school's football, tennis, and baseball teams into the 1980s. The baseball team won two city championships during his time there, in 1966 and 1969. Cohen was recognized at Dodger Stadium in 1995 for his important contributions to baseball education. One year later, he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Cohen was married to Terry Cohen until his death. Together, they had two children: Jeff and Jill.

He died on February 4, 2021, at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 90, and had contracted COVID-19 several months before his death. He continued to suffer health issues from the virus after his supposed recovery.