Herb Moford, who died Saturday at 77, was one of the original New York Mets.

His career record as a pitcher, a submediocre 5-13 over four seasons with four different teams, made him an ideal member of the 1962 Mets, a legendarily bad team that lost a record 120 games.

Moford was the only one of four pitchers for the Mets in their franchise opener at St. Louis who didn’t give up a run. Moford gave up a single hit and retired the side in his one inning of work. The Mets lost the game, 11-4.

Moford was called up from Rochester in the International League by Mets manager Casey Stengel, who had been assured “He’ll get the ball over the plate.”

Moford may have performed that feat a bit too well; in 15 innings pitched for the Mets,he gave up 21 hits and 15 runs.

Stengel sent him back to the minors, and that was it for Moford’s career.

Moford also played for the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox in a career that began after he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pitching mainly as a reliever, Moford compiled a 5.03 career ERA in 50 games.

In an interview with the Maysville Ledger Independent, Moford once said he enjoyed playing in warm weather and never put up a fight about his contract. He liked to talk about facing a young Hank Aaron, and the time Aaron hit his 17th career homer off him.

Moford, born in Brooksville, Ky., had his best season in 1958 with Detroit, going 4-9 with a 3.61 ERA in 25 games.

He retired to Minerva, Ky., and became a tobacco farmer.