New York ? Jack McKeon’s wife flew from the couple’s home in North Carolina to Miami last month and joined her husband for the final homestand of the Florida Marlins’ regular season, when they were immersed in a tight NL wild-card race.

She’s been with the team — and short on clothes — ever since.

“I didn’t pack enough,” Carol McKeon said with a laugh. “I wasn’t prepared for this. I thought I’d be going home in three or four days.”

It’s nice to know Mrs. McKeon sold the Marlins short, because so did nearly everyone else.

Not her husband, though. He was lured out of retirement May 11, and in his first team meeting, McKeon told the Marlins they were good enough to play in October. Now here they are in New York, preparing to face the Yankees beginning tonight.

At 72 the oldest manager to reach the World Series, McKeon is a cinch to become a big hit in the Big Apple. He’s part Yogi Berra and part Casey Stengel, which New Yorkers will appreciate, and he’s a big part of the Marlins’ astounding success.

“We have blue-collar, working-hard, keep-pushing guys,” infielder Mike Mordecai said. “We don’t give up. And a lot of that comes from the manager.”

McKeon calls this season the highlight of his career, which he began in 1949 as a minor-league catcher. He managed at Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego and Cincinnati, going 770-733 in 12 seasons, and was general manager of the San Diego Padres when they went to the World Series in 1984.

But this is his first postseason as a manager.

“This has been the most rewarding year of my career,” McKeon said, puffing on one of his ever-present cigars. Earlier this season he smoked even while jogging. Then he hurt his back and decided jogging was bad for his health.

Marlins manager Jack McKeon watches his team during a light workout. The Marlins practiced Friday at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The Marlins fired Jeff Torborg 38 games into the season, and there were snickers when McKeon was introduced as the new manager at a news conference. Hard of hearing, he frequently responded to questions by saying, “Beg pardon?” That made it difficult to envision him turning around a franchise with just one winning season in its 10-year history.

Even now, McKeon is easy to underestimate as a kindly grandfather, which he is. He leans forward in conversation to hear better and enjoys telling stories about the old days — such as his trip to Yankee Stadium at age 11 to attend his first major-league game.

McKeon, who grew up a fan of the Yankees and Giants in nearby South Amboy, N.J., remembers catching a foul ball Phil Rizzuto hit in batting practice.

“Well, I didn’t catch it,” McKeon said. “It probably hit a chair and rolled around, and I picked it up.”

He attended the game with his Aunt Kitty.

“That was her name,” McKeon said. “Aunt Kitty. Aunt Kathleen. I don’t know. Yeah, Aunt Kitty.”