The New York Times’ write-up of the Yankees’ game against the California Angels on July 23, 1972 took a humorous shot at a franchise that was smack-dab in the middle of an 11-year playoff drought.
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“The New York Yankees staged their 26th old‐timers’ session yesterday in a painfully nostalgic way—they were beaten in the first half of a doubleheader, 1‐0, by Steve Barber and Andy Kosco, a couple of Yankee old‐timers who now work for the California Angels.”
Kosco’s pinch hit sacrifice fly in the eighth inning made the difference in a 1-0 Angels win. It was among the few Angels highlights for Kosco, a 10-year MLB veteran who played 49 of his 658 career games in Anaheim.
Kosco died Friday at age 84. In addition to the Angels, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1965-67), New York Yankees (1968), Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-70), Milwaukee Brewers (1971), Boston Red Sox (1972), and Cincinnati Reds (1973-74).
Mostly a reserve outfielder, Kosco retired with 73 home runs, 267 RBIs and a .236 batting average in 10 seasons.
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The Angels acquired Kosco on Jan. 26, 1972 in a 1-for-1 trade that sent Tommie Reynolds to the Milwaukee Brewers. He was coming off a 10-homer season in 98 games for the Brewers, and competed for a first base/corner outfield role in spring training with the Angels.
But Kosco was denied a roster spot to begin the season, and was instead sent to Triple-A Salt Lake. Kosco collected four homers and 12 RBIs in only 11 games with the Angels’ top farm team before he was promoted to the big leagues.
In 151 plate appearances as an Angel, Kosco slashed .239/.267/.423 (109 OPS+). Less than a month after his sac fly helped the Angels beat the Yankees in New York, Kosco was traded to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Chris Coletta.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Kosco returned to his hometown after his baseball career ended with the Cincinnati Reds in 1974. He worked for the Goulish-Kosco Insurance agency, where he later became the owner and expanded the business to multiple offices in Struthers and Boardman.
While working, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University.
Kosco is survived by his wife Cathy, their five children, as well as two siblings and 12 grandchildren.
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