" Al Jackson - The original hard luck Met !"
Can you imagine yourself being a charter member of the New York Mets ? How do you think you would deal with being designated as playing for one of the worst teams ever assembled ? On top of that you would spend much of that decade with the Mets, but end up being sold to the Cincinnati Reds before the team reached the World Series in ’69?
Well you would have to ask number 34 on the countdown , Mr. Al Jackson.
Alvin Jackson was born in Waco Texas on Christmas day of 1935.
In 1955 , Al was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent . He toiled in the Pirates farm system for the next six years until the Mets selected him in the 1961 expansion draft.
Al would make his major league debut during the Mets inaugural season and finished with a record of 8–20 .His next three seasons with the Mets saw him go a combined 32-53. Al was also the first Met to ever pitch a one hitter. The date was June 22, 1962 and it was against fellow against the other National League expansion team, the Houston Colt .45′s . The only hit that was mustered by Houston came on a lead off hit by Joey Amalfitano in the first inning.
In 1966 Jackson along with utilityman, Charley Smith were traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for third baseman, Ken Boyer.
Jackson was traded back to the Mets in the middle of the ’67 season for pitcher, Jack Lamabe. Al was used as a reliever for the Mets that season.
Al was a member of the ’69 Mets, but he was sold to the Reds that June. While with the did Mets, he did not earn a decision , and his E.R.A was a horrendous 10.64. Al would retire just before the start of the ’70 season after being released by the Reds.
In his career with the Mets, Al had the distinction of being the Mets all time win leader with 43 wins until it was broken by Tom Seaver.
Jackson had the franchise record of 10 shutouts, but that was also surpassed by Seaver.
For the past thirty odd years, Jackson has worked in some capacity with the Mets whether as a coach or in the front office.
Tomorrow we will unveil the thirty third player on this list of 50. It is one of the most successful power hitters ever to wear a Mets uniform.
And with that said …. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Mets alumni celebrating birthdays today include :
September call up Lucas Duda is 25 today ( 1986). Although he started off ice cold at the plate his during his first week with the Mets, his bat soon thawed and he ended up finishing the season batting .202 with four homers and13 RBIs. He also proved that he wasn’t a defensive liability in the outfield.
The New York Mets signed free agent catcher, Ed Hearn on February 3, 1983.
The Minnesota Twins signed middle reliever, Jeff Innis of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 3, 1994.
The St Louis Cardinals signed Mets outfielder/third baseman, Shawon Dunston of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 3, 2000. Dunston was a very good reserve player in his three three months with the Mets. He provided some clutch hits during that pennant chase that year.
And while you concern yourself if the Wilpons will end up living on skid row, just remember that there are just 57 Johan Santana days untill the Mets open the 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami and just 64 more days until the Mets 2011 home opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Mo Vaughn has just took a hammer to his piggy bank to see how much money he has to purchase the Mets. Something tells me that $ 1.98 and some coupons to Arby’s won’t do the trick.
16 comments
metsfan4decades
2/3/2011-7:52am at 7:52 am (UTC -4)
I’m a bit surprised Al Jackson made this list and was as low as #34. It didn’t even occur to me to add him to my list. I didn’t remember much about him other than I know he was a member of the original ’62 Mets. After looking at the stats you provided, now I know why I didn’t much remember him.
Nothing against him – I’m sure he’s a great guy – but his ML career was ‘eh’.
‘just remember that there are just 57 Johan Santana days until the Mets open the 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami’.
If only Johan was going to be that opening day starter….
rustyjr
2/3/2011-8:05am at 8:05 am (UTC -4)
I too was surprised that Jackson made the team but I guess people took his longevity into consideration – either way he was a decent pitcher on sone awful mets teams
wannybackstra
2/3/2011-10:11am at 10:11 am (UTC -4)
Rusty’s right. He was the best Mets pitcher for a period — granted his colleagues were mostly downright awful. And he was and is a long time Mets soldier.
stickguy
2/3/2011-11:23am at 11:23 am (UTC -4)
“best pitcher for a period”
would that be the Craig Swan or Nino Espinosa award?
stickguy
2/3/2011-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
Red man, thanks for the props to my man Duda (about not being a liability in the OF). Never gonna be the fastest guy out there, but he can get the job done.
If he wins a job out of ST (which sadly means one of the starters has gone down), ROY is in the bag!
TRS86
2/3/2011-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
Besides Stick’s love affair with Dunn-lite-lite-lite, man am I grateful for this blog. Reading and commenting some on MB and so many posters just plain whining and panicking that the Mets will never spend money again… LOL.
stickguy
2/3/2011-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
THere are some winners at FWICG, but the biggest imbiciles have to be over at MMO. And it started before the wilpon stuff blew up, with a Sandy hate fest.
I need to finish my post on this for later.
TRS86
2/3/2011-12:36pm at 12:36 pm (UTC -4)
I can’t say I even semi-regularly read MMO’s comment section.
metsfan4decades
2/3/2011-1:52pm at 1:52 pm (UTC -4)
It’s entertaining over there, to say the least.
It’ usually a battle of the sabermetric heads vs. the old school guys. One guy in particular…if he says once, he says a thousand times ‘I don’t care what the numbers say’…..He absolutely hates DWright and would trade him in a NY minute. Can’t say I see that sentiment that much across any other blog.
Ceetar
2/3/2011-2:10pm at 2:10 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t even really read the blog itself, for similar reasons probably. But there are a lot that I don’t read.
Jody and..whoever’s on with him, on ESPN Radio was harping on the stupid pitching to the score thing in regards to Pettitte. at least Jody said he shouldn’t be in.
stickguy
2/3/2011-3:58pm at 3:58 pm (UTC -4)
it is a pretty busy place at least. And some of the battles are funny to watch. the couple of anti-saber guys taking on the world. and man, do they hate Sandy.
Bayonne (the guy MF is referring to) has now decided that moneyball and sabermetrics are totally discredited because the A’s farm system has not been the best in MLB for the last 13 years.
and Theo and the red sox don’t count for some reason.
all you need are gristly old timee scouts, and the back of a baseball card, and you know everything you need to know about a player.
metsfan4decades
2/3/2011-4:05pm at 4:05 pm (UTC -4)
Heyman tweets:
‘plan is for Mets to let Jose Reyes play whole year to show how healthy he can stay before maybe offering contract’
Oh boy….this is going to be talked about every single day until ST. If Jose gets off to a good start and continues to play steady, the grumbling is going to become shouting.
stickguy
2/3/2011-4:28pm at 4:28 pm (UTC -4)
poor, poor idea. And the health line is bogus. He had the (horrible misdiagnosed) hammy tendon issue in 2009, that was finally fixed after the season. and he had no problems with it at all in 2010.
the thyroid issue was a fluke, resolved, and nothing going forward.
so rolling the dice on 10s of millions of $$ because he had a minor oblique strain (that he played through, even when he should have taken a couple weeks to let it heal before playing (and making it linger on).
After playing daily for 4 years, I don’t see him as being injury prone. He certainly isn’t that 1B dude the yankees signed last year!
saying they want to see him healthy in ST? Maybe. But when he shows up in perfect condition and looks 100% in the spring, why isn’t that enough?
I take it more as advance maneuvering to prepare for his expected departure.
metsfan4decades
2/3/2011-4:42pm at 4:42 pm (UTC -4)
Dang….I’m beginning to think your last statement might be the mindset.
From what little I’ve read on reactions, it might be the single most damaging decision in the short run, they can make. Apparently, many, many Met fans love Jose. Trying to spin that to they’ll be able to get good starting pitching, etc, etc., won’t even be heard by some.
stickguy
2/3/2011-5:09pm at 5:09 pm (UTC -4)
yeah, I am having trouble thinking of a scenario (short of a career threatening injury and a lost season) where they let reyes walk and it doesn’t cause a major blow up.
Yolanda Paul
7/15/2011-12:38pm at 12:38 pm (UTC -4)
If anyone knows how to get in touch with Alvin N. Jackson please email me at Londaj11@comcast.net. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and then traded to the New York Mets in the 60′s.