Hy Cohen

Hyman Cohen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.
• School Brooklyn College, California State University, Los Angeles, Cal State Northridge
• Debut April 17, 1955
• Final Game June 2, 1955
• Born January 29, 1931 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died February 4, 2021 in Rancho Mirage, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Before the 1948 season, the New York Yankees signed Hy Cohen a 6' 5" right-hander from Brooklyn and assigned him to the Class D LaGrange Troupers where he went 7-5 with a 5.50 ERA. He went back to LaGrange in 1949, finishing 11-15 with a 3.33 ERA. Cohen was snapped up by the Chicago Cubs in the minor league section of the 1949 Rule V Draft on December 5, 1949. The Grand Rapids Jets hosted him in 1950 and he went 12-9 with a 3.41 ERA. In 1951, he had the best season of his young career, going 16-10 while pitching 236 innings with a 2.86 ERA for the Des Moines Bruins of the Western League. Cohen spent 1952 and 1953 with the United States Army at the time of the Korean War, stationed in San Antonio, TX. He played service ball with Don Newcombe, Gus Triandos and Bob Turley. He had another good year with Des Moines on his return in 1954, going 16-6 with an excellent 1.88 ERA.

In 1955, the Cubs brought Hy to Wrigley Field, where he made 7 appearances with a 7.94 ERA, his only big league action. He came back strong in 1956, going 11-7 for the New Orleans Pelicans and 5-0 for the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels. In 1957, he had another good year with the Memphis Chickasaws, going 15-7 with 215 innings and a 2.72 ERA. He was struck with an arm ailment in 1958 with the Nashville Volunteers, pitching only 37 innings, going 2-6 for a 8.51 ERA, and ending his career.

In 259 minor league games, Hy was 100-77 with a 4.62 ERA in 1,476 innings. After baseball, he settled in southern California where he earned a master's degree in education from Cal State Northridge. A longtime school teacher and baseball coach at Birmingham High School, Hy made his home in Westlake Village, CA. He was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He passed away in 2021 at age 90, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

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