Ken McBride

Kenneth Faye McBride (August 12, 1935-) was the ace of the Los Angeles Angels from the very beginning as he went 36-32 with 410 strikeouts in the franchise’s first three seasons in the American League. He earned All-Star selections in each of those three seasons in Orange County (1961-1963). Sadly, it was the high point in his career that was cut short due to nagging arm issues and injuries. McBride began his professional career in 1954 going 18-8 with a league leading (Appalachian League) five shutouts and 180 strikeouts. He seemed poised to join the Boston Red Sox, with whom he signed that same year, but the Sox had other plans and after a few years of seasoning in the minors, Sam was sold to the Chicago White Sox in 1959. He appeared in 11 games going 0-1 with 12 Ks and one save in 22.2 innings out of the bullpen. McBride spent two years in the Windy City (1959-1960) and helped the Sox reach the 1959 World Series, but he did not appear in the postseason. In 1960, the Los Angeles Angels took Ken with the 13th pick of the 1960 MLB Expansion Draft. It was in Los Angeles that he gained his best momentum and had a career year in 1963 when he went 13-12 with 147 strikeouts, 11 complete games, two shutouts and a 3.26 ERA in 36 starts. He also struggled with a touch of wildness as he led the American League in hit-batsmen for the first of two consecutive years. McBride spent five years with the Los Angeles/California Angels (1961-1964/1965) before arm issues began to take their toll on the right-hander. In that final 1965 season, Ken McBride appeared in only eight contests and retired with a 40-50 record, 503 strikeouts, 28 complete games and seven shutouts in 151 career games.