Former MLB pitcher Ken MacKenzie, and original member of the New York Mets in 1962, dead at 89
- Mackenzie was the only reliever from the 1962 team to post a winning record
- After his playing career, he went on to coach baseball at his alma mater Yale
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Former New York Mets reliever Ken MacKenzie died Thursday at the age of 89.
The left-handed reliever, who was the only pitcher with a winning record in the 1962 expansion Mets, died at his home in Guilford, Connecticut, according to a Mets spokesman.
MacKenzie played six seasons in the MLB, posting an 8-10 record with a 4.80 ERA in 128 relief appearances.
His time in the major leagues saw him suit up for the Milwaukee Braves (1960-61), St. Louis Cardinals (1963), San Francisco Giants (1964), Houston Astros (1965), along with his time with the Mets.
After completing his playing career, MacKenzie went on to coach the Yale baseball team from 1969-78.
Former New York Mets reliever Ken MacKenzie died Thursday at the age of 89
“Because he signed with us, he's the lowest-paid member of Yale's class of '56,” Mets manager Casey Stengel once joked.
MacKenzie signed with the Braves in September 1956 and made his big league debut in San Francisco on May 2, 1960, allowing a hit to his leadoff batter, Joey Amalfitano. His first decision came on May 27, when he gave up a game-ending grand slam to Cincinnati's Ed Bailey.
He was sold to the Mets prior to the expansion draft in October 1961 and went 5-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 41 relief appearances and a start in an August doubleheader against St. Louis.
That was the only winning record among the Mets' 17 pitchers, who went 40-120 and set a post-1900 record for losses. The only team with a worse record was the 1899 Cleveland Spiders at 20-134.
“We didn't have an infield that was very close to ground balls, so they didn't make a lot of mistakes,” MacKenzie recalled in 2022.
“I always said we had a pretty good pitching staff because we threw the ball far. I'm proud of the fact that some of the players (who) hit home runs off me were good hitters. I got to play with some really good players: Henry Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Howard.”
MacKenzie recalled pitching in the 13th inning at Dodger Stadium on May 19, 1963.
MacKenzie was part of the original Mets expansion team during the 1962 season
“I was still on the mound when the ball landed itself in the seats in left field,” MacKenzie said. “Chris Cannizzaro came up the hill and said, 'MacKenzie, what the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you think that ball was going out?”
“If that went, I'd see it,” MacKenzie remembered telling the catcher.
MacKenzie was 3-1 with a 4.84 ERA in 31 games for the Mets in 1963 before being traded to the Cardinals for right-hander Ed Bauta on August 5. The Cardinals were in New York at the time of the transaction.
He retired after splitting time between the major leagues and Triple-A in 1964 and '65.