Al Jackson, the slender left-hander whose pitching provided a semblance of hope for the historically woeful Mets of the early 1960s, died on Monday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He was 83.

His death was announced by the Mets, who did not specify the cause. Jackson had a stroke in 2015.

The 1962 Mets, an expansion team in its first season, won 40 games and lost a record 120, but Little Al Jackson, as he was known — he was 5 feet 10 and weighed about 165 pounds — was a bright spot. He threw all four of the Mets’ shutouts that season, among them a one-hitter.

He won eight games and lost 20 for a team that finished in 10th place, but he did not lead the team in losses. The former Dodger right-hander Roger Craig, also victimized by the Mets’ dreary lineup, went 10-24.

Throwing breaking balls along with fastballs, Jackson was a mainstay for the Mets through their first four seasons. He was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and was a member of their pennant-winning 1967 team.