December 14, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Former major league left-hander Ken MacKenzie, who hailed from Gore Bay, Ont., passed away on Thursday at the age of 89.

Longtime New York Mets public relations executive Jay Horwitz shared the news on social media late this afternoon.

MacKenzie died at his home in Guilford, Ct.

The Canadian southpaw posted a 4.80 ERA in 129 big league appearances in parts of six seasons with the Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros from 1960 to 1965.

Following his big league career, he coached the baseball team at Yale University, his alma mater, from 1969 to 1978.

It was an unlikely journey to the big leagues for MacKenzie who was born in Gore Bay, Ont., a small town on Manitoulin Island, located at the north end of Lake Huron, in 1934. According to the excellent SABR bio that Ron Rembert wrote about MacKenzie, MacKenzie’s father, John, owned a hardware store, while his mother Evelyn was a homemaker.

There were not enough kids in Gore Bay to form organized youth teams, but there were all-ages town teams. MacKenzie was a standout hockey player and he pitched for the town team on a makeshift field at the fairgrounds. No scout saw him pitch in Gore Bay or through his high school years, but MacKenzie was a bright student and he had an uncle that lived in Hartford, who encouraged him to apply to Yale.

MacKenzie was eventually accepted at Yale where he starred for the school’s hockey and baseball teams. His baseball coach was former big league outfielder Ethan Allen, who saw potential in him and mentored him.

On September 4, 1956, MacKenzie was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent. After spending his first two seasons as a starter in double-A and triple-A, the Braves converted him into a reliever in 1959. 

He made his big league debut with the Braves on May 2, 1960 against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. The young lefty entered the game in relief of Don McMahon in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out with Willie Mays and Willie McCovey on first and second base. MacKenzie allowed a hit and a run but managed to complete the inning in the Braves’ 5-0 loss.

The rights to MacKenzie’s contract were purchased by the Mets on October 11, 1961 just prior to the expansion draft. The Canuck lefty proceeded to post a 5-4 record for a hapless Mets squad that went 40-120 under manager Casey Stengel in their inaugural season. MacKenzie was the only pitcher on the team with a winning record.

MacKenzie liked to tell the story of a conversation he had with Stengel during that season.

“Do you realize I am the lowest paid Yale graduate of the Class of 1956?” MacKenzie said to Stengel.

“Yes, but you’ve also got the highest ERA!” Stengel quipped back.

MacKenzie went 3-1 with a 4.84 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the Mets in 1963 before he was dealt to the Cardinals for Ed Bauta on August 5. He made eight appearances with the Cardinals to finish the season.

That October, MacKenzie was traded again — this time to the San Francisco Giants. He’d record a 5.00 ERA in 10 games with the Giants in 1964 prior to having his contract purchased by the Houston Astros that October.

It was with the Astros that he’d make some Canadian baseball history. On July 23, 1965, MacKenzie, Claude Raymond (St. Jean, Que.) and Ron Taylor (Toronto, Ont.) all pitched for the Astros in the same game, marking the first time that three Canadians have toed the rubber for the same team in a major league game.

Raymond started the game for the Astros and allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings to the Cincinnati Reds. He was then relieved by Taylor who permitted three runs in his inning of work. Taylor was then replaced by MacKenzie who allowed three hits and a run without recording an out. The Astros eventually lost 9-1, but Canadian baseball history had been made.

MacKenzie initially retired as a player after that season. But in Danny Gallagher’s excellent 2022 book, Bases Loaded: Inside stories about Eli, Cro, Cy, Terminator and the Expos, the author shared a little-known story about MacKenzie. Four years after his last big league pitch, MacKenzie spent 27 days with the Expos in September 1969. And though he didn’t make an appearance in a game with the club, his time on the roster got him to the four years of service time necessary to qualify for the MLB pension plan.

It was a scenario that played out after MacKenzie sent a letter to all of the major league teams asking for an opportunity and Expos GM John McHale was the only person to respond.

“He said, ‘Sure, come on up. I want you to come up and we’ll put you on the roster. We don’t have 40 players on the roster,’” MacKenzie told Gallagher.

More than five decades after McHale’s gesture, MacKenzie continued to express his gratitude.

Following his coaching career with Yale from 1969 to 1978, MacKenzie worked in the alumni office at Yale until 1984.

MacKenzie is survived by sons Ken and Geoffrey.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.