Member of New York Mets' First World Series Champions Dies

A pitcher who paved the way for the New York Mets to win their first World Series died at the age of 80.

The New York Mets lost another member of their 1969 World Series team, as the Mets announced that pitcher Jim McAndrew died at 80 year old.

A few months ago, the Mets lost an icon from that team, former player and manager Bud Harrelson.

McAndrew made his MLB debut in 1968 against Bob Gibson, the legendary St. Louis pitcher, when Nolan Ryan was called away for military duty.

McAndrew wasn’t as well-known as some of the other stars on that pitcher staff, which included Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Ryan. And while he didn’t pitch that postseason for the Mets, he helped pave their way to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

His most important start was in September as he won a game against Montreal that put the Mets in first place for the first time in the franchise’s history.

The 1969 season was just his second in the Majors as he served as a starter and part-time reliever for the Mets. He went 6-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 27 games, with 21 starts. He threw 135 innings and pitched two shutouts that season.

After that, he proved to be a solid part of the Mets’ staff for the next four seasons. In 1970 he went 10-14 with a 3.56 ERA in 32 games (27 starts) and threw a career-high 184.1 innings. In 1972 he had his only winning season with the Mets, an 11-8 record with a 2.80 ERA, the latter a career-low for a full season.

In 1973 he was with the Mets again when they reached the World Series, making 12 starts and pitching in 23 games as he went 3-8 with a 5.38 ERA.

The Mets traded him to San Diego in 1974 and he wrapped his career with the Padres.

He was 36-49 with four saves and a 3.65 ERA for the Mets in 105 starts and 41 relief appearances. For his career he was 37-53 with a 3.65 ERA.