"Jack of all pitching trades at Yankee Stadium is Jim Coates, the tall man who can start, serve as a middle reliever and come in in the later innings. Born in Farnham, Virginia, fastballs and curves are his main pitches and he's rather difficult to get to once he gets past the early innings. His 11-5 in '61 gives him 30-9 record over three seasons for a high percentage of .769."
-Don Schiffer, The 1962 Major League Baseball Handbook
"With apparent greater depth on this year's Yankee pitching staff, Jim Coates may become a regular in the starting rotation. Heretofore, the 6'4" Virginian has been a combination starter-long and short relief man. In three full seasons as a Yankee, the hard-throwing right-hander has won a total of 30 games, lost only nine. This is a .769 winning percentage, higher even than Whitey Ford's lifetime mark.
While Jim still relies on his high, hard one- the fast ball- as his 'bread and butter' pitch, he has developed a much better breaking ball and has learned more about the art of pitching. He came to training camp early this spring, along with the rookies and prospects. 'I asked Ralph Houk to let me come down early,' said Jim, 'for I find that I can work myself into better shape if I do it gradually.' The Yankee hitters who faced him in batting practice this spring thought Coates was way ahead of his normal pace.
Coates may not win many popularity contests in rival American League dugouts. It's not that he isn't a pleasant fellow. But Jim is a fiery competitor and he's in there to get the other fellow out at all costs. Throwing hard is his business. That he is succeeding at it becomes apparent when you glance at his record. Manager Houk will settle for that kind of desire and he knows that Jim Coates will be giving the Yankees his best, whether it's as a starter or as long or short relief man."
-The New York Yankees Official 1962 Yearbook
Won his first nine decisions of 1960.
Lifetime winning percentage of .769 tops among Yankee pitchers with more than 10 decisions.
-1962 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
"Big Jim Coates has a brilliant won and lost record since becoming a Yankee three years ago. During this span, he has posted 30 victories and has tasted defeat only nine times. The 30-year-old hurler, however, is just nearing his peak.
Last Fall, when Whitey Ford had to retire in the fourth game of the World Series, it was Coates who got the call from the bullpen. The lanky Virginian came through with shutout ball to preserve the victory for the Bombers and keep Ford's streak of scoreless innings intact.
A sore arm almost ended Jim's career before he made the majors. He was out virtually the entire 1958 campaign (appearing in only eight games and working 29 innings), his last as a minor leaguer. Fortunately for both Coates and the Yankees, his pitching arm came around the following season and the rest is history.
The Yanks signed him in 1952 and sent him to Olean. He was 13-15 in his first season in Organized Ball but impressed the New York front office with his 223 strikeouts in 226 innings on the mound. In '53 he was 12-13 with Joplin and in '54 Coates' record was 9-6 with Norfolk, after a brief Class A whirl at Binghamton.
Jim picked up steam in 1955, toiling for Binghamton and the Southern Association's Birmingham Barons; and in 1956, after a rather dismal 6-12 year at Richmond, the Yankees called him up for a cup of coffee.
Coates was back with the International League Virginians in 1957. He had a fine year, winning 14 of 25 decisions and posting a 2.63 earned run mark.
Then came the sore arm. But everything worked out for the best and, in 1959, it was back to the Bronx. In his first season as a Yankee, Coates' record was 6-1 and he permitted only 32 earned runs in 100 innings for a 2.88 ERA."
-The 1962 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook
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