Ken Mackenzie: The Winnigest Pitcher On The Original Mets 1962 Staff (1962 - 1963)

Kenneth Purvis Mackenzie was born on March 10, 1934, in Gore Bay, Ontario, Canada located on the North channel of Lake Huron. 

The man with the thick glasses looked like a scholar, which he actually was. Ken was a graduate of the Yale class of 1956, lettering in both baseball & hockey. 

Mackenzie was a six foot left hander was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1957. He went right to AA ball pitching in Atlanta winning 14 games. In his move up to AAA the following year he won 15 games making an impression.

In 1959 he became relief pitcher mostly going 6-2at AAA Louisville making a debut in the big leagues by 1960. He saw action in just 14 games over two seasons in Milwaukee going 0-2 as a Braves reliever. 

Mets Career: In October 1961, his contract was purchased by the New York Mets making him an original Met. He would be the first Mets pitcher out of Yale University, until another famous alumnus in Ron Darling came along twenty years later. 

Quotes- Mets Manager Casey Stengle: "He's a splendid young fella with a great education from Yale University. His signing with us makes him the lowest paid member of the class of Yale '56."

Once in a tight game with runner aboard Casey Stengel came out to the mound & told Mackenzie “Make out like you're pitching against Harvard”.

Mackenzie would be a reliever for the ’62 Mets staff, usually coming in the late innings. On April 15th, 1962, he made his Mets debut coming in the fourth game in team history. He relieved Roger Craig in the 4th inning pitching two innings while allowing a pair of runs on three hits in a 7-2 loss at the Polo Grounds.

On May 4th he gave up a 6th inning double to the Phillies Tony Taylor in what was the games winning run as he earned his first loss. On May 19th, he pitched two scoreless innings of relief in Milwaukee, the Mets scored four runs in the top of the 8th inning, to help him earn his first Mets victory in a 6-5 win. 

The next day he got more offensive help, when the Mets scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning. Two of the runs came on a Dennis Menke error at third base on Charlie Neal's grounder. The Mets won the game 7-6 as Ken went to 2-1.

In a June 10th double header at Chicago, he closed out the first game getting the final out of a 2-1 win to earn the save. In the second game he gave up a walk off double to Andre Rogers taking the loss.

On July 2nd in San Francisco, he closed out the 7th inning with the Mets behind the Giants 5-4. The Mets scored two runs in the top of the 9th to win the game & earn Ken another win. On July 28th, although he blew a lead & gave up three runs in St. Louis, he still earned a win as the Mets put up five unearned runs in a 9-8 win. Mackenzie added an RBI single of his own in the 9th inning.

He would go 1-1 in August then miss a month of action returning in late September. 

On a team that only won 40 games, Mackenzie pitched in ten of those wins. He was the only pitcher on the entire 1962 Mets staff with a winning record, going 5-4. His five wins were amazingly third best on the team. 

He made 42 appearances earning one save, striking out 51 batters & walking 34 batters, while allowing ten HRs, in 80 innings pitched, posting a 4.95 ERA. 

1963: He started out the next season well, earning a pair of wins at the Polo Grounds, in a series against his old Braves teammates. On May 2nd he collected a save. On May 9th he pitched a scoreless 9th inning with the Mets down 2-0. 

In the bottom of the 9th Tim Harkness tied it up with a two run single & the Mets won it when Johnny Klippstein threw a wild pitch scoring Al Jackson who was brought in as a pinch runner.

Mackenzie was 3-0 with two saves, posting an 0.69 ERA, with 13 strike outs in 12 innings of work by early May. He was by far the most successful pitcher on the Mets staff early on.

On May 12th in the second game of a double header, Mackenzie allowed five runs (four earned) to the Reds in a 13-12 wild Mets win. 

From there on he wasn't as effective as he had been, Mackenzie would go 3-1 with three saves, while blowing two saves, through early August. He had 48 strike outs & 15 walks in 58 innings in 34 appearances.

On August 5th, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ed Bauta. Mackenzie would finish the year at 3-1 with 4.84 ERA, striking out 48 batters in 67 innings on the season. 

Over the next two years he would pitch for the San Francisco Giants & Houston Astros, going 0-3

in 31 games combined. 

Career Stats: In his six-year career he was 8-10 with five saves, 142 strikeouts & 63 walks in 208 innings pitched. Mackenzie started just one career game, making 129 appearances posting a 4.80 ERA. 

At bat he hit .111 going 4-36 with an RBI.

Retirement: After his playing career he was the baseball & a hockey coach at Yale University from 1969-1978. 

In 1979 he helped recruit & assured a future New York Mets pitcher Ron Darling that pitching for Yale would not hurt his chances to get to the major leagues if he was good enough. When Darling arrived the next year Mackenzie moved on from the coaching role.

He continued to work at Yale in the Alumni Office then in its Educational Travel program.

Family: Ken & his first Gretchen Milem had two children together. He was then married to Anna
McKenna until her death in 1984. Ken has spent the later part of his life with his partner Elaine Lewis.

2022 Old Timers Day: 88-year-old Ken Mackenzie was one of the original Mets who participated in the 2022 Old Timers Day celebration of Mets history at Citi Field.