| Mike Coolbaugh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman /Coach | |
| Born:(1972-06-05)June 5, 1972 Binghamton, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: July 22, 2007(2007-07-22) (aged 35) North Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: July 16, 2001, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| KBO: April 5, 2003, for the Doosan Bears | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: July 7, 2002, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| KBO: May 30, 2003, for the Doosan Bears | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .183 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 7 |
| KBO statistics | |
| Batting average | .215 |
| Home runs | 10 |
| Runs batted in | 24 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Michael Robert Coolbaugh (June 5, 1972 – July 22, 2007) was an Americanbaseball player and coach. Born inBinghamton, New York, he was the brother of major leaguerScott Coolbaugh. Coolbaugh died after being hit by a line drive while working as a first-base coach in a minor league game.
A 1990 graduate ofTheodore Roosevelt High School inSan Antonio, Texas, Coolbaugh was drafted by theToronto Blue Jays in the 16th round (433rd overall) of the 1990Major League Baseball Draft.[1]: 57 Coolbaugh spent 11 seasons in theminor leagues. He broke theSouthern League record for runs batted in during a season.[1]: 57
Coolbaugh never played for the Blue Jays, but was called up to the major leagues on July 15, 2001, while playing for theMilwaukee BrewersTriple-A affiliateIndianapolis Indians.[1]: 57 He playedthird base with theMilwaukee Brewers in 2001 and theSt. Louis Cardinals in 2002. Coolbaugh made 44 career appearances, mainly at third base or as apinch hitter, hitting .183.
In 2003, Coolbaugh traveled to Korea (as had his brotherScott) to play for theDoosan Bears in theKBO League. That year he hit .215 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI in 44 games.
In 2004, he set a franchise record by hitting 30 home runs with theNew Orleans Zephyrs, an affiliate of theHouston Astros. In 2005, Coolbaugh was with the Astros' farm system and while playing for their Triple-A affiliate, theRound Rock Express, had 27 home runs and 101 runs batted in.[1]: 58 The Astros were prepared to bring him up to the major leagues until he suffered a broken bone in his left hand during a game.[1]: 58 In 2006, he signed with theKansas City Royals.[1]: 58 However, duringspring training, Coolbaugh shattered his left wrist, leading to his retirement as a player.
Following his professional playing career, Coolbaugh turned to coaching. On July 3, 2007, he was hired asfirst base coach for theTexas League'sTulsa Drillers, theDouble-A affiliate of theColorado Rockies.
On July 22, 2007, Coolbaugh was killed during the ninth inning of a game against theArkansas Travelers inNorth Little Rock, Arkansas, when aline drive hit by Drillers catcher Tino Sanchez struck him in the neck while he was standing in the first base coach's box.[2][3] The impact ruptured Coolbaugh's leftvertebral artery, which supplies significant parts of the brain with blood. The result, according toPulaski County coroner Mark Malcolm, was a severebrain hemorrhage.[1]: 60 [4]
Travelers general manager Pete Laven was among the first to reach Coolbaugh after he collapsed, along with Travelers team doctor James Bryan, team athletic trainer Brian Reinker and Gene France, a local doctor who was sitting near the first base dugout with his daughter and a family friend, both of whom are also physicians.[5] France watched as Bryan administeredpain stimulus, applying pressure to various areas of Coolbaugh's body, all with no response.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered to Coolbaugh on the field where he remained breathing until the ambulance reached the hospital.
Coolbaugh was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.CDT (0247UTC, July 23), less than an hour after being struck with the line drive.[6] The game, which the Travelers had been leading 7–3, wassuspended.[7] The next day,Texas League president Tom Kayser declared the game to be a complete game.[8] Additionally, the Drillers and Travelers both chose to postpone the game scheduled for the following night.[9][8]
After clinching theNational LeagueWild Card playoff berth during the2007 Major League Baseball season, theColorado Rockies announced the team players voted to award Coolbaugh's widow, Amanda, a full share of their playoff winnings.[10] Rockies general managerDan O'Dowd said, "when I heard about what the players did, I almost cried." As the Rockies made it to theWorld Series, her share ended up being $233,505.18.[11]
On November 8, 2007, MLB general managers decided that all base coaches would wearhelmets starting with the upcoming 2008 season.[12]
Coolbaugh's life and death are the subject of a book by S. L. Price, titledHeart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America.[13]
In his honor, theTexas League established the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year Award in 2007 to honor the most outstandinghitting orpitching coach in the league. The first recipient was his brother,Scott Coolbaugh.[14]
In 2008,Minor League Baseball began presenting the annualMike Coolbaugh Award to someone who has "shown an outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players on the field".[15]
On July 29, 2023, the Tulsa Drillers retired Coolbaugh’s number 29 in a pregame ceremony at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa.
· Baseball Almanac