Former Twins outfielder, coach Joe Nossek dies at age 85

Former Twins outfielder and coach Joe Nossek, who had four hits for the team in the 1965 World Series, died Thursday, Feb. 12. He was 85.

The Cleveland Guardians posted on X, “Heartbroken by the passing of dear friend and one of Cleveland’s great baseball men — Joe Nossek. Highly respected strategist; renowned for his ability to steal signs.”

The Twins wrote, “The Minnesota Twins are saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Joe Nossek. Our thoughts are with his loved ones in their time of grieving.”

Nossek, a Cleveland native and All-American at Ohio University, signed with the Twins for a reported signing bonus of $45,000 in 1961. He spent the next four decades in professional baseball. He played six seasons in the majors, including parts of three with the Twins, and spent another 28 as a major-league coach.

After hitting .293 in 128 games with Class AAA Dallas in 1963, Nossek opened the 1964 season with the Twins. He made his professional debut on April 18 against the Washington Senators.

Before the 1965 season, the Twins tried to trade for Boston Red Sox second baseman Chuck Schilling. The Red Sox wanted Nossek in return.

Twins’ president Calvin Griffith turned down the deal.

Nossek spent the 1965 season with the Twins primarily in a reserve role, hitting .218 in 87 games and 170 at-bats. But he had a prominent role in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers while platooning with regular center fielder Jimmie Hall.

Nossek was 4-for-20 in six appearances during the series, which the team lost in seven games, and got hits off Dodgers starters Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen. Koufax and Drysdale are both Hall of Famers, while Osteen was a three-time All-Star.

In a 2013 interview with a blog titled Cooperstowners In Canada, Nossek said, “I think my biggest accomplishment was only striking out once in that [World] Series, and that was against Howie Reed, a right-handed curveballer. Koufax didn’t get me and neither did Drysdale or Osteen.”

Nossek concluded his major-league career after the 1970 season at the age of 29.

After spending the 1971 season as a player/coach with the Brewers’ Class AAA Evansville farm team, Nossek managed the Brewers’ Danville farm team in the Class A Midwest League in 1972. The following year, he began a long, big-league coaching career by joining Milwaukee’s staff.

Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa told MLB.com: “I would say with no hesitation, in our generation, [Nossek] would be tied for first for the best baseball mind.”

In 295 major-league games, Nossek had a .228 career batting average.