Former major leaguer Tim Harkness dies at 87

December 2, 2025

By Kevin Glew  

Cooperstowners in Canada 

Former big leaguer Tim Harkness has died at the age of 87. 

Bob Elliott, of the Canadian Baseball Network, was the first to report Harkness’s passing. 

“It is with a heavy, heavy heart that my favourite major leaguer, my hero, my dad has passed away – one month from this 88^th birthday,” wrote Tim Harkness Jr., on Facebook on November 30. “He will be sorely missed by his beautiful family and his many friends.” 

Harkness (Lachine, Que.) played parts of four major league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets from 1961 to 1964 before returning to Canada to become a legendary coach, scout and storyteller. 

“Tim Harkness could light up a room,” wrote Bob Elliott in his tribute to Harkness on the Canadian Baseball Network. “He could brighten a major league clubhouse as he did with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers .  . . At a Major League Scouting Bureau camp or an indoor workout, he was easy to find. He was seated in the laughing section and it was Timmy telling the stories which created the laughter.” 

Raised in Quebec 

Born on December 23, 1937 in Lachine, Que., Harkness was a standout hockey and baseball player during his youth. 

He was a promising, power-hitting first baseman when he was signed out of the Montreal sandlots by the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 1956 season. 

“The owner, Bob Carpenter, offered me a $16,000 bonus, but $4,000 was the limit then, or else they’d have to put me on the major league roster, so they promised to pay me the rest later,” Harkness told Paul Patton of The Globe and Mail in 1985. 

Pro playing career 

Harkness began his pro career with the Olean Oilers of the Class-D Pony League in 1956, batting .251 with five home runs in 56 games. 

The following spring the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers, where he enjoyed a breakout season with Class D Kokomo, hitting .349 with 14 home runs and 74 RBIs in 87 games. His performance earned him a brief promotion to the triple-A Montreal Royals. 

Over the next three seasons, the 6-foot-2 slugger continued his ascent up the Dodgers’ minor league ranks. He put together his best year with the double-A Atlanta Crackers in 1960 when he batted .293 and had 28 home runs and 111 RBIs in 151 games. 

MLB debut 

After a strong performance with triple-A Spokane in 1961, the Dodgers called up Harkness that September. He proceeded to go 4-for-8 with two doubles and four runs in five big league games down the stretch. 

This helped Harkness earn a spot on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster in 1962. Employed primarily as a pinch-hitter and a defensive replacement at first base, Harkness batted .258 and posted a .370 on-base percentage in 92 games. 

Traded to the Mets 

On November 30, 1962, he was traded to the Mets who had just lost a record 120 games in their inaugural season. Mets manager Casey Stengel made Harkness his everyday first baseman and the Canuck infielder responded by socking 10 home runs and registering 41 RBIs in 123 games. 

On June 26 of that year, on a steamy day at the Polo Grounds, he belted his most memorable major league home run. With the Mets trailing the Chicago Cubs 6-4 with two outs in the 14^th inning at the Polo Grounds, Harkness clubbed a walk-off grand slam. It represented the first walk-off grand slam in Mets’ history. 

On September 9 of that same year, Harkness, though not known for his speed, became the first Met to steal three bases in a game. 

More Mets history in 1964 

He returned as the Mets’ starting first baseman in 1964 and etched his name in the club’s history books when he singled to right field in the third inning of their home opener to record the first hit by a Met at Shea Stadium. 

He would bat .282 in 39 games before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for infielder Bobby Klaus on July 28.  

Back to the minors 

The Reds would assign him to their triple-A affiliate in San Diego where he spent the rest of the season.  

“They had no place for me,” Harkness told Oshawa This Week about the Reds, in a 2007 interview. “They asked me to go down to triple-A and I expressed my frustrations.” 

Harkness then toiled in triple-A for the next two seasons before hanging up his playing spikes and returning to his hometown to serve as the manager of the Lachine Mets of the Provincial League. 

Eventually Harkness moved to Oshawa, Ont., where he worked as a sales manager for a moving company. Later in the 80s and early 90s, he served on the management team for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in Toronto. 

Managed Leafs 

He also continued to coach. For at least five seasons (2002-03, 2009 to 2011), he was the field manager of the Intercounty Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. His former Leafs players can recall Harkness throwing batting practice with a cigar in his mouth. 

Along the way, Harkness developed into a highly respected scout for the San Diego Padres. In 1996, he was honoured with the Canadian Baseball Network’s Scout of the Year award.  

Three years after that, he convinced the Padres to draft a young right-hander named Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.) in the 33^rd round, but they couldn’t convince Hill to sign.  

The next year Hill was chosen by the Expos in the sixth round. He signed with them and went on to pitch parts of seven major league seasons. 

Not surprisingly, Harkness shared his love of baseball with his children and grandchildren. According to Bob Elliott, Harkness’s son, also named Tim, has coached the 16U Elite Oshawa Legionaires and the Durham College Lords. His grandsons, Dylan and Brodie, both played collegiate ball.  

Later in his life, Harkness settled in Courtice, Ont.  

“We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of former Major League Baseball player, Toronto Maple Leafs Manager, and IBL Champion Tim Harkness,” said the Canadian Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs in a statement. 

A Celebration of Life is being planned for Harkness.