
Jim McAndrew passed away. He was a spot starter for the New York Mets in 1968 after Nolan Ryan was called up to the military, and he fell to Bob Gibson in his major league debut. A month later, he defeated Steve Carlton to record his first victory. He was eighty.
Following a brief illness, McAndrew passed away on Thursday at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center in Arizona, according to a statement from the Mets released on Friday.
Right-hander McAndrew, who pitched for the Mets from 1968 to 1973 as the back end of the rotation, started one of the most important games in the history of the team: a victory against Montreal in September 1969 that propelled the long-relegated team into first place for the first time in its eight seasons.
Throughout his seven-year major league career, McAndrew pitched for the Mets; he did not play in the postseason for either the 1973 NL pennant winners or the 1969 World Series champions.
After being moved to San Diego, he went 1-4 with a 5.62 ERA in two starts and 13 relief appearances with the Mets, finishing 36-49 with four saves and a 3.65 ERA in 105 starts and 41 relief appearances. His final big league record was 37-53 with a 3.65 ERA as a result.
On July 21, 1968, during a doubleheader opener at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, McAndrew made his major league debut while Ryan (who would go on to become Hall of Fame) was serving in the Army reserve. Future Hall of Famer Lou Brock hit as McAndrew’s first batter, then in the fourth, McAndrew pitched around leadoff double by Roger Maris.
Bobby Tolan started the sixth inning with a drive against the wall that fell between right fielder Larry Stahl and center fielder Cleon Jones, ending the inning without a run. Tolan sprinted around the bases and scored a home run inside the park. Gibson tossed a seven-hitter to win his 10th consecutive start and record his seventh shutout in nine outings, but that was the lone run off McAndrews in a 2-0 loss.
McAndrews was returned to Triple-A Jacksonville, as Ryan was scheduled to return to the squad the following day. After his second start, McAndrews was lifted after five perfect innings and returned to the Mets when Ryan reported back for Army duty.
McAndrew lost his first four big league starts and fell to 0-5 after a 13-3 loss to San Francisco and future Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. During his time on the mound, New York failed to score any runs.
After Tommy Agee’s leadoff single in the eighth inning and Jones’ sacrifice fly in the eighth, McAndew defeated Carlton, another future Hall of Famer, 1-0 to earn his first victory on August 26 in St. Louis.
On September 10, 1969, McAndrew was in the mound at Shea Stadium versus Montreal. In a 3-2 victory that was sealed with a single in the 12th inning by Ken Boswell, he threw 11 innings without giving up a hit. The Chicago Cubs concluded a loss to Philadelphia, and after three innings in the second game, New York led 6-1, putting the Mets ahead for the first time in eight big league seasons. The team that came to be known as the Miracle Mets went on to win the World Series against Baltimore.
On January 11, 1944, McAndrew was born in Lost Nation, Iowa. During his sophomore year at the University of Iowa, he played both basketball and baseball before giving up the sport due to a knee injury.
Due to an arm injury, he missed his junior season. He subsequently played his senior year and was chosen by the Mets in the eleventh round of the 1965 amateur draft, one round ahead of New York’s selection of Ryan.
That summer, McAndrew pitched at the rookie level for Marion, Virginia, and Class A Auburn, New York. During the offseason, he attended the Florida Instructional League and finished his psychology degree at Iowa. After making his way back to Auburn in 1966, he advanced to Williamsport Double-A in 1967 and Jacksonville Triple-A in 1968.
McAndrew worked in sales and management for the coal industry following his baseball career.
Wife Lyn, daughter Jana, and sons Jamie, Jeff, and Jon survive him.
Jamie, a right-hander as well, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 28th overall choice in 1995. He pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1995 to 1997, going 3–4 with a 5.98 ERA.
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