Koosman was discovered by the son of a Shea Stadium usher who caught Koosman when he pitched in the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Mets offered Koosman a contract after his discharge. Koosman was about to be cut from the Mets in 1966, when Joe McDonald, the assistant farm director, requested Koosman be retained at least until his first payday, as he owed the Mets money they had wired him after his car broke down en route to spring training.\n', '

After leading all International League pitchers in strikeouts in 1967, Koosman broke into the Mets’ rotation in 1968. He posted a 19-12 record with seven shutouts, 178 strikeouts and a 2.08 earned run average. The wins, shutouts, and ERA set franchise records, breaking those set by mound mate Tom Seaver just the year before. Koosman also made the first of two All-Star teams in his career. The National League won the game 1-0 (to date, the only All-Star Game to end in a 1-0 score) in the "Year of the Pitcher." Koosman pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, striking out Carl Yastrzemski for the final out. Koosman was named to the 1968 Topps All-Star Rookie Roster and finished runner-up to Johnny Bench for the National League Rookie of the Year honors.\n', '

In 1969 Koosman posted a 17-9 record with a 2.28 ERA and 180 strikeouts in another All-Star season. That year, he was a member of the Mets team that unexpectedly won the National League East title (both leagues had split into two divisions after expanding from ten teams to 12) after not only finishing dead last in five of their first seven seasons, but also trailing the Chicago Cubs for much of that season by as many as 9½ games. After Koosman lost to the Houston Astros to fall to 9-8, he won eight of his final nine decisions.\n', '

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