Highlighted Year: Ken McBride, 1961

Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels

Age:  26 (Aug. 12)

1^st season with Angels

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 190 

Prior to 1961:

Born in Alabama, McBride grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where he excelled in basketball and baseball at West High School. Following his graduation from high school in 1953, he pitched for a semipro team before being signed by the Boston Red Sox for a $500 bonus. He was first assigned to Bluefield of the Class D Appalachian League in 1954 where he performed well with an 18-8 record and 2.53 ERA with 178 strikeouts over 210 innings. Spending most of 1955 with Corning of the Class D Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (or Pony) League he produced a 10-9 tally and 3.81 ERA with 100 strikeouts over 170 innings. He finished the season with Greensboro of the Class B Carolina League, where he played in 1956. He tossed a no-hitter on his way to a 9-7 record and 2.64 ERA with 9 complete games, and 86 strikeouts over 177 innings pitched. Plagued by injuries in 1957 with Oklahoma City of the Class AA Texas League, McBride was limited to 19 games and produced a 2-2 tally with a 4.70 ERA and 24 strikeouts and 21 walks issued over 44 innings, mostly out of the bullpen. Sent to Memphis of the Class AA Southern Association in 1958, his record was 9-10 with a 3.58 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 156 innings while he started in 21 of his 31 games pitched. He had a strong season in 1959 with Indianapolis of the Class AAA American Association and was 11-5 with a 2.79 ERA when he was sold to the Chicago White Sox on August 1. With a fine sinker to go along with a fastball and curve, he made two starts among his 11 appearances for the White Sox, who were in the midst of a pennant race, which they won. He showed promise in going 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA. Sent to San Diego of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1960, he put together an 11-14 tally and 3.23 ERA with 131 strikeouts over 198 innings before finishing up with another short stint with the White Sox. Left exposed in the AL expansion draft, McBride was chosen by the Angels and became part of the starting rotation for the 1961 inaugural season.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in 45 games

P – 38, PR – 7

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 38

Games Started – 36 [3, tied with Frank Lary]

Complete Games – 11 [9, tied with six others]

Wins – 12 [18, tied with five others]

Losses – 15 [8, tied with Jim Archer]

PCT - .444

Saves – 1

Shutouts – 1

Innings Pitched – 241.2 [9]

Hits – 229 [12, tied with Gene Conley]

Runs – 114 [11, tied with Camilo Pascual]

Earned Runs – 98 [12]

Home Runs – 28 [6, tied with Jim Perry]

Bases on Balls – 102 [6]

Strikeouts – 180 [5]

ERA – 3.65 [19]

Hit Batters – 7 [8, tied with Milt Pappas, Eli Grba & Jim Coates]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 8 [6, tied with seven others]

Midseason Snapshot: 8-5, ERA - 2.95, SO - 82 in 128 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 11 (in 9 IP) vs. Minnesota 7/18, (in 8.2 IP) vs. Detroit 7/25

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 5/23

Batting

PA – 93, AB – 83, R – 5, H – 7, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 3, SO – 35, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .084, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 74

Put Outs – 19

Assists – 53

Errors – 2

DP – 5

Pct. - .973

Awards & Honors:

All-Star

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In their inaugural season, the Angels went 70-91 to finish eighth in the AL, 38.5 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in walks (713), strikeouts (973), and fewest complete games (25). Opening the season on the road, the Angels lost 7 of their first 8 games but proved to be more competitive the rest of the way, especially at home at LA’s Wrigley Field, where they produced a 46-36 record and drew 603,510 fans.

Aftermath of 1961:

The Angels were surprisingly competitive in 1962 and McBride was part of the club’s success until a cracked rib and bout with pleurisy prematurely ended his season with a record of 11-5 with a 3.50 ERA, 6 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 83 strikeouts over 149.1 innings. The team dropped in the standings in 1963 but McBride remained an All-Star with his 13-12 tally, 3.26 ERA, 11 complete games, and 147 strikeouts over 251 innings. Appreciated for being classy, he was a well-liked player. His sinker was highly effective when he was at his best, but he lacked consistency. Two starts into the 1964 season, an arm injury led to a 4-13 record and 5.26 ERA with 66 strikeouts over 116.1 innings. The situation was no better in 1965 and McBride was demoted to San Jose of the Class A California League after having produced an 0-3 mark and 6.14 ERA after eight appearances. His ERA was 11.57 in three starts for San Jose and he retired. For his major league career, which was primarily spent with the Angels, McBride posted a 40-50 record and 3.79 record with 28 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 503 strikeouts over 807.2 innings pitched. A three-time All-Star, physical problems derailed a promising career. Following his playing career, he was briefly a minor league manager and pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. He later was CEO of a construction company.  

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.