Joe Coleman was a solid big-league pitcher. His father, also Joe, had been one for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s and '50s.
The younger Coleman was in the Washington Senators' rotation for four years, and then was traded to Detroit in October 1970 as part of the deal that brought Denny McLain to Washington. Coleman was then a mainstay for the Tigers, winning 20 games in 1971 and 1973, and pitching more than 280 innings every year from 1971-74. His performance fell off in 1975, due to some shoulder tightness, and in June of 1976, Detroit sold him to the Cubs.
After bouncing through three more major league teams, Coleman signed with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Portland on May 8, 1979. This didn't merit a mention in either The Pittsburgh Press or the Post-Gazette.
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