Kenneth Purvis MacKenzie was acquired from the Brewers along with Johnny Antonelli for cash on October 11th, 1961. Ken beat out Antonelli and earned the lone lefty reliever spot on the '62 Mets opening day roster. Ken had a somewhat rocky season, but still finished with a 5-4 record. He was the only pitcher to finish with a winning record during the Mets inaugural season. Mac stuck around for the beginning of the '63 season, but was dealt to the Cardinals for Ed Bauta in August. Ken was an Ivy Leaguer and was quoted to have joked with Casey how he was the lowest paid Member from his Yale class. Casey was quick to respond " and the highest ERA too!"
I mailed a Memorial Day baseball to Ken and asked him if he would sign my ball with his middle name Purvis. Mac wrote several paragraphs on the back of my letter. One was about how Purvis was his maternal grandfather's last name. Mr. Purvis captained boats on the Great Lakes years ago. He also wrote about how Bob Uecker always called him Purvis. "Never Mac, Ken, or even Lefty ... Always Purvis" he quoted. Of the 50+ returns, Ken MacKenzie was definitely one of my favorites. He put in a lot of effort to personalize my return.
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