NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Two-sport athlete and former head baseball coach Ken MacKenzie '56 passed away on Thursday at the age of 89.

MacKenzie graduated from Yale in 1956 and was a standout athlete in both baseball and hockey. As a hockey player, MacKenzie was a second team All-Ivy League selection.

But baseball is where MacKenzie excelled and cemented a legacy as one of the best players in program history. Throughout three varsity seasons as a Bulldog, he compiled a 19-6 record including a perfect 6-0 record against Harvard. He was elected captain in his senior season and led Yale to an EICBL title.

Following graduation, MacKenzie played six seasons in Major League Baseball, appearing in 129 games as a reliever for the Brewers, Mets, Cardinals, Giants, and Astros. Notably, he was a member of the original New York Mets team in 1962 and was the only pitcher on the team with a winning record, going 5-4 that season.

After retiring from MLB in 1964, MacKenzie returned to Yale and was named head coach of the baseball team in 1969. He coached 10 seasons for the Bulldogs before stepping down in 1978.

After leaving his coaching position, MacKenzie remained at Yale, taking a position in the Alumni Office, which he held until his retirement in 1984, and serving as a fellow in Davenport College. 

To read more about MacKenzie's remarkable life and career, see this article published by the Society for American Baseball research and his obituary in the New York Times.