Los Angeles Angels History: First multi All-Star selection Ken McBride

The Los Angeles Angels came to be as a Major League Baseball team in 1961. Their first two All-Star selections were Ken McBride and Ryne Duren.

As an expansion era team, the Los Angeles Angels participated in the Expansion Draft in 1960. Selecting from the other Major League teams, the Angels built the core of their early rosters. Ken McBride was one such selection.

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McBride was entering his age 25 season at the time of his selection by the Angels. A veteran of 16 major league games at the time. McBride was promptly inserted into the team’s starting rotation.

McBride responded well, starting 36 games for Los Angeles. At the time, the MLB was experimenting with two All-Star games per season. McBride made both games. 12-15 with a 3.65 ERA may seem uninspiring. However, for a brand new team that lost 91 games, the young pitcher did quite well.

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McBride would again be an All-Star in 1962. The pitcher played in the second All-Star game that year. It would be the final year of MLB’s two All-Star games per season experiment. McBride only managed 24 games that year, but turned in an 11-5 record for the season.

In 1963 McBride became the Los Angeles Angels first player selected to the All-Star game in three consecutive seasons. The Angels again lost more than 90 games in 1963. As a result, McBride’s 13-12 record doesn’t glisten like one might expect. However, in 36 starts the pitcher worked over 250 innings. Additionally, McBride posted a 3.26 ERA to go along with a 1.116 WHIP and a 2.8 WAR.

Unfortunately, his career quickly derailed after the 1963 season. Ineffective in 1964 and ’65, McBride was gone from the majors before the age of thirty. However, none of that should underscore his contributions to the early Los Angeles Angels teams or his three seasons as an All-Star.

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Ken McBride’s three selections (and three consecutive selections) would stand as the Angels benchmarks until the 1968 and ’69 seasons respectively. However, both were eclipsed by fan favorite Jim Fregosi. Fregosi would make six All-Star games as an Angel. Fregosi’s fourth nod coming in 1968. However, he would not get his fourth in a row until 1969.

Still, McBride (who is alive at the great age of 80) stands as one of the original Angels All-Stars and their first to be selected to multiple Mid-Summer Classics.