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Al Jackson, an original Met, dead at 83

Al Jackson, a tough left-hander who provided a rare glint of hope in the early days of the woebegone Mets, has died at 83.

His death was announced by the Mets, for whom he worked for 50 years as a pitcher, major league coach, minor league pitching coordinator and front-office adviser. He died Monday at a nursing home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after a long illness.

The Mets said in a statement it would be “impossible to calculate the number of players and staff he touched and influenced during his career.”

Jackson pitched in the majors for 10 seasons, and no season was more challenging than the one in 1962 when the expansion Mets entered the majors and lost 120 games.