Original New York Mets Pitcher Passes Away at 89

Ken MacKenzie has a distinction that no New York Mets pitcher from that 1962 expansion team can claim.

An original New York Mets player died on Thursday, as Ken MacKenzie passed away at the age of 89.

The Mets announced his passing to the Associated Press through a spokesperson. With MacKenzie’s passing, only nine players remain alive from the Mets’ first team.

MacKenzie, a left-hander, held the distinction of being the only Mets pitcher with a winning record during their inaugural season in 1962. As a reliever, MacKenzie went 5-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 42 games with one start. He had one save, threw 80 innings and struck out 51 hitters.

The Mets went 40-120 that season, setting a modern-day record for losses in a baseball season.

He made the most of his time in New York, as he played less than two seasons with the Mets but went 8-5 with a 4.95 ERA. The Mets traded him to St. Louis in 1963.

He didn’t win a game with any of the other four MLB teams he played for — the Milwaukee Braves, the San Francisco Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros.

From 1960-65 he went 8-10 with a 4.80 ERA in 128 relief appearances. He ended up with the Mets after the Braves sold him to the expansion franchise after the 1961 season.

MacKenzie, a native of Gore Bay, Ontario, was a two-sport star at Yale, where he played baseball and hockey. In the latter sport, he was a Second-Team All-Ivy performer.

He signed with the Braves out of college in 1956.

He returned to Yale after he retired from baseball and coached the Bulldogs’ baseball team from 1969-78. Per the AP, he was instrumental in helping Yale recruit future Mets star Ron Darling, though Darling didn’t play for MacKenzie.

MacKenzie retired from coaching and then worked for Yale’s alumni office until 1984 when he retired for good.

He is survived by two sons, Ken and Geoffrey.