One of the best pitchers on an otherwise woeful NY Mets staff when they entered the league, Al Jackson passed away yesterday at the age of 83. Here’s the obit by Richard Goldstein in The New York Times.
Probably overlooked is that the “little lefty” did two tours of duty for the Mets. The second time as a member of the 1969 squad that won the World Series, although he wasn’t around by the fall, having been sold to the Cincinnati Reds in June of that year. I’m guessing that had a lot to do with his 10.64 ERA in 11 innings over nine games.
Bill Madden wrote this is today’s NY Daily News.
Jackson also served as a pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Here’s the AP obit from the Sun.
The Times’ obit mentions Jackson’s inclusion in a couple of books: Once Upon the Polo Grounds, by Leonard Shecter, and The Complete Game, by Ron Darling with Daniel Paisner).
[In his book,] Darling related how Jackson spoke of the times when black players were barred from segregated hotels and restaurants.
Darling took a lesson from that. “I had no choice but to take the gift of my situation more seriously,” he wrote. “I couldn’t take anything for granted.”
is available on Amazon.com,
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