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Alvin Neill Jackson
New York Mets
Pitcher
Born: December 26, 1935, Waco, TX
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1955 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1959, 1961; New York Mets 1962-65; St. Louis Cardinals 1966-67; New York Mets 1968-69; Cincinnati Reds 1969
Died: August 19, 2019, Port St. Lucie, FL (age 83)
Pitcher Al Jackson appeared in 11 games for the Pirates in 1959 and 1961, but he'd get his first regular taste of the big leagues with the expansion Mets in 1962. Taken as the 22nd pick in the 1961 expansion draft, Jackson was the third starting pitcher for the Mets to start their inaugural 1962 season behind Roger Craig and Sherman Jones. He'd lose 20 games, but had a respectable 4.40 ERA in 36 appearances, including 33 starts. Jackson would be a mainstay in those early Mets pitching rotations, starting at least 31 games in each of the franchise's first four seasons. His best season statistically came after leaving the Mets, when he went 13-15 for the Cardinals in 1966, pitching to a 2.51 ERA in 36 appearances. He'd return to the Mets for the 1968 season and was briefly a member of the Amazing 1969 team before being sold to the Reds that June.
Jackson retired following the 1969 season with a career record of 67-99, a 3.98 ERA and 738 strikeouts in 303 appearances. His 43 wins with the Mets briefly sat atop the team's all-time leaders list until surpassed by Tom Seaver (#480). He coached at the minor and major league level until the early 2000s, working in the majors with the Red Sox (1977-79), Orioles (1989-91) and Mets (1999-00). Jackson was inducted posthumously into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2021.
Pitcher Al Jackson appeared in 11 games for the Pirates in 1959 and 1961, but he'd get his first regular taste of the big leagues with the expansion Mets in 1962. Taken as the 22nd pick in the 1961 expansion draft, Jackson was the third starting pitcher for the Mets to start their inaugural 1962 season behind Roger Craig and Sherman Jones. He'd lose 20 games, but had a respectable 4.40 ERA in 36 appearances, including 33 starts. Jackson would be a mainstay in those early Mets pitching rotations, starting at least 31 games in each of the franchise's first four seasons. His best season statistically came after leaving the Mets, when he went 13-15 for the Cardinals in 1966, pitching to a 2.51 ERA in 36 appearances. He'd return to the Mets for the 1968 season and was briefly a member of the Amazing 1969 team before being sold to the Reds that June.
Jackson retired following the 1969 season with a career record of 67-99, a 3.98 ERA and 738 strikeouts in 303 appearances. His 43 wins with the Mets briefly sat atop the team's all-time leaders list until surpassed by Tom Seaver (#480). He coached at the minor and major league level until the early 2000s, working in the majors with the Red Sox (1977-79), Orioles (1989-91) and Mets (1999-00). Jackson was inducted posthumously into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2021.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #534
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Jackson spent most of the season with the Reds. He got knocked around in nine appearances with the Mets early in the season, pitching to a 10.64 ERA in 11 innings of work. His contract was sold to the Reds on June 13th, and Jackson relieved in 33 games, going 1-0 with a 5.27 ERA and three saves. It must have been tough for him to watch the success of the Mets in 1969 after having suffered through so many of their earlier years. The Reds released him on April 13, 1970, ending his playing career.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #464
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AJ
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 48 in the Beckett online database as of 7/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 90th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $2.
The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This photo of Jackson is from the 1964 season, as evidenced by the 1964 World's Fair patch on his sleeve worn by the Mets that year. A similar photo can be found on Jackson's 1968 Topps card. The write-up on the back of the card highlights his status as the winningest pitcher in the Mets' short franchise history.
Accuracy Index: The picture is five years old, but Jackson's card still scores a +5.
1969 Season
Jackson spent most of the season with the Reds. He got knocked around in nine appearances with the Mets early in the season, pitching to a 10.64 ERA in 11 innings of work. His contract was sold to the Reds on June 13th, and Jackson relieved in 33 games, going 1-0 with a 5.27 ERA and three saves. It must have been tough for him to watch the success of the Mets in 1969 after having suffered through so many of their earlier years. The Reds released him on April 13, 1970, ending his playing career.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #464
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AJ
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 48 in the Beckett online database as of 7/13/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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