Black History Month: Cecil Cooper's Indelible At-Bat

Cecil Cooper didn’t start his career in Milwaukee, instead making his debut in 1971 with the Red Sox and he spent his first six seasons in Boston. While he had fewer than 110 plate appearances in each of his first three seasons, he finally found his footing in 1974 when he found a full-time spot in the lineup. 

After productive years in ‘75 and ‘76, Cooper was traded to the Brewers and saw immediate improvement. He adopted the same batting stance as Rod Carew, allowing him to hit outside pitches more effectively.

1977 through 1985 was really when his career began to flourish. He made five All-Star appearances, earned three Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, a Roberto Clemente Award, and averaged an OPS+ of 129 over 5,600 plate appearances. His most productive season was in 1980, when he hit an exceptional .352 while leading the American League in RBIs (122) and Total Bases (335). The numbers were good but weren’t enough to cement his name in the history books alone. The success of a single season is fleeting, so what makes Cecil Cooper one of the most important Brewers of all time?

The date was October 10th, 1982. Game 5 of the ALCS was underway, and the California Angels were in Milwaukee, leading 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh. The Brewers had never been this deep in the playoffs. They made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history the previous season but lost in the ALDS to the New York Yankees in five games. Cecil Cooper stepped up to the plate with the team just one win away from the World Series. He hoped to shake off his uncharacteristically poor performance in the series to that point. Coming into Game 5, he was just 2-for-16 (.125) in the series. 

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Cooper came to the plate with two outs, and the bases loaded in the winner advances, loser-goes-home game. He was 0-for-3 in the Game and 2-for-19 (.105) in the series. With Luis Sanchez on the mound, Cooper took a 1-1 fastball on the outer part of the plate and lined it to left field. The single scored Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner and gave the Brew Crew a 4-3 lead. 

That pitch, and his ability to hit it more effectively, was the exact reason he decided to change his entire stance. Ironically, as the raucous screams of the Wisconsin faithful filled the air, Cooper stood at first base, right next to Angels' first baseman, Rod Carew. The noise was so loud that the audio on the television broadcast crackled. 

This hit had a Win Probability Added of 39% and eventually punched the team’s tickets to their first and only World Series appearance. There would be 25 years between that hit and the Brewers’ next postseason appearance. Cecil Cooper went on to have brief careers as an agent and a coach, and he eventually spent parts of three seasons as manager of the Houston Astros. 

However, his two-out hit is one of the main reasons he’s in the Brewers Walk of Fame and Wall of Honor. 

For many, baseball is about something other than the advanced statistics and complex metrics we now use to evaluate players in the analytics era. Instead, it’s about magical moments such as these that live forever in the hearts and minds of those who watched. Cooper’s single wasn’t just the most memorable event in his career but likely that of every fan who was fortunate enough to be there in person on October 10th, 1982.