| Tom Seaver | |
|---|---|
 Seaver with the New York Mets,c. 1971 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1944-11-17)November 17, 1944 Fresno, California, U.S. | |
| Died: August 31, 2020(2020-08-31) (aged 75) Calistoga, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 13, 1967, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1986, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 311–205 |
| Earned run average | 2.86 |
| Strikeouts | 3,640 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1992 |
| Vote | 98.8% (first ballot) |
George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who played 20 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played for theNew York Mets,Cincinnati Reds,Chicago White Sox, andBoston Red Sox from1967 to1986. Commonly described as the most iconic player in Mets history, Seaver played a significant role in their victory in the1969 World Series over theBaltimore Orioles.
With the Mets, Seaver won theNational League's (NL)Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and won three NLCy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. He was a 12-timeAll-Star and ranks as the Mets' all-time leader inwins. During his MLB career, he compiled 311 wins, 3,640strikeouts, 61shutouts, a 2.86earned run average, and he threw ano-hitter in 1978.
In1992, Seaver was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, receiving the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time.[a] Along withMike Piazza, he is one of two players wearing a New York Mets hat on his plaque in the Hall of Fame. Seaver's No. 41 wasretired by the Mets in1988, and New York City changed the address ofCiti Field to 41 Seaver Way in2019. Seaver is also a member of theNew York Mets Hall of Fame and theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Seaver was born inFresno, California, to Betty Lee (née Cline) and Charles Henry Seaver. He attendedFresno High School and was apitcher for the school'sbaseball team.[1] Seaver compensated for his lack of size and strength by developing great control on the mound. Despite being an All-Citybasketball player, he hoped to play baseball in college. He joined theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve on June 28, 1962. He served withAIRFMFPAC 29 Palms, California, through July 1963.[2] After six months of active duty in the reserve, Seaver enrolled atFresno City College.[1] He remained a part-time member of the reserve until his eight-year commitment ended in 1970.[3]
TheUniversity of Southern California (USC) recruited Seaver to playcollege baseball. Unsure as to whether Seaver was worthy of a scholarship, USC sent him to pitch inAlaska for theAlaska Goldpanners ofFairbanks in the summer of 1964. After a stellar season, in which he pitched and won a game in the national tournament with agrand slam, USC head coachRod Dedeaux awarded him a scholarship. As a sophomore in 1965, Seaver posted a 10–2 record for the Trojans, and he was selected in the tenth round of the1965 Major League Baseball draft by theLos Angeles Dodgers.[4] When Seaver asked for $70,000, however, the Dodgers passed, only offering Seaver $2,000.[5]
In 1966, Seaver signed a professional contract with theAtlanta Braves, who had selected him in the first round of the secondary January draft, 20th overall. However, the contract was voided byBaseball CommissionerWilliam Eckert because USC had played two exhibition gamesthat year, although Seaver had not participated.[4] He then intended to finish the college season, but because he had signed a pro contract, theNCAA ruled him ineligible. After Seaver's father complained to Eckert about the unfairness of the situation, and threatened a lawsuit, Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves' offer.[5] The Mets were subsequently awarded his signing rights in a lottery drawing among the three teams (thePhiladelphia Phillies andCleveland Indians being the two others) that were willing to match the Braves' terms.[6]
In 1966, Seaver was 12–12 with a 3.13earned run average pitching inClass AAA with theJacksonville Suns, the Mets' affiliate in theInternational League.[7]
Seaver made the Mets' roster in1967, was named to the1967 All-Star Game, and got the save by pitching a scoreless 15th inning.[8] In his rookie season, Seaver was 16–13 for the last-place Mets, with 18 complete games, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.76earned run average. Seaver was named the 1967National League Rookie of the Year.[9]
Seaver recalled later on that he approachedHenry Aaron just before the All-Star Game, for his autograph. Seaver felt the need to introduce himself to Aaron, as he was certain that the veteran player would not know who he was. Aaron replied to Seaver, "Kid, I know who you are, and before your career is over, I guarantee you everyone in this stadium will, too."[10]
Seaver started for the Mets onOpening Day in1968.[11] He won 16 games again during that season, and recorded over 200 strikeouts for the first of nine consecutive seasons, but the Mets moved up only one spot in the standings, to ninth.[12] In1969, Seaver won a league-high 25 games, including nine consecutivecomplete-game victories. He won his first National League Cy Young Award. He also finished runner-up toWillie McCovey for the League's Most Valuable Player Award.[13]
In front of a crowd of over 50,000 at New York'sShea Stadium on July 9, Seaver threw8+1⁄3 perfect innings against the division-leadingChicago Cubs. Rookie backup outfielderJim Qualls broke up Seaver's bid for aperfect game when he lined a clean single to left field.[14][15]
In the inauguralNational League Championship Series, Seaver outlastedAtlanta'sPhil Niekro in the first game for a 9–5 victory. Seaver was also the starter for Game One of theWorld Series, but lost a 4–1 decision to theBaltimore Orioles'Mike Cuellar. Seaver then pitched a 10-inning complete game for a 2–1 win in Game Four. The "Miracle Mets" won the series.[1] At year's end, Seaver was presented with theHickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year andSports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award.[16][17]
On April 22,1970, Seaver set a major league record by striking out the final ten batters of the game in a 2–1 victory over theSan Diego Padres atShea Stadium.[18]Al Ferrara, who had homered in the second inning for the Padres' run, accounted for both the first and the final strikeout of the streak. In addition to his ten consecutive strikeouts, Seaver tiedSteve Carlton's major league record at the time,[19] with 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game.[20] (The record was later eclipsed by 20-strikeout games byKerry Wood,Randy Johnson,Max Scherzer, and twice byRoger Clemens.)[21] By mid-August, Seaver's record stood at 17–6 and he seemed well on his way to a second consecutive 20-victory season. But he only won one of his last ten starts, including four on short rest, to finish 18–12. Nonetheless, Seaver led the National League in both earned run average (2.82) and strikeouts (283).[22]
In1971, Seaver led the league in earned run average (1.76) and strikeouts (289 in 286 innings) while going 20–10. However, he finished second in the Cy Young balloting toFerguson Jenkins of theChicago Cubs, due to Jenkins' league-leading 24 wins, 325 innings pitched, and exceptional control numbers.[23]
Seaver had four more 20-win seasons (20 in 1971, 21 in1972, 22 in1975, and 21 in1977). He won two moreCy Young Awards (1973 and 1975, both with the Mets). Between 1970 and 1976, Seaver led theNational League in strikeouts five times, while also finishing second in 1972 and third in 1974. Seaver also won three earned run average titles as a Met. Two famous quotes about Seaver are attributed toReggie Jackson: "Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch."[24] The second was in the 1973 World series, with the Mets up 3 games to 2, and poised to win their second championship. Seaver started the game, but did not have his "arm" that day, and lost the game. Jackson is reported to have said "Seaver pitched with his heart that day." Seaver was known for his "drop and drive" overhand delivery, powered by his legs and trunk with his knee sinking to the ground.[25]
By1977,free agency had begun and contract negotiations between Mets' ownership and Seaver were not going well. Seaver wanted to renegotiate his contract to bring his salary in line with what other top pitchers were earning, but chairman of the boardM. Donald Grant, who by that time had been givencarte blanche by Mets management to do what he wished, refused to budge. LongtimeNew YorkDaily News columnistDick Young regularly wrote negative columns about Seaver's "greedy" demands. Seaver attempted to resolve the impasse by going to team ownerLorinda de Roulet, who along with general managerJoe McDonald, had negotiated in principle a three-year contract extension by mid-June. Before the contract could be signed, Young wrote an unattributed story in theDaily News saying that Seaver was being goaded by his wife to ask for more money because she was envious ofNolan Ryan earning more money with theCalifornia Angels. Upon learning of the story, Seaver informed de Roulet and McDonald that he immediately wanted to be traded, believing that he could not co-exist with Grant.[26]
In one of two trades that New York's sports reporters dubbed "the Midnight Massacre" (the other involved struggling outfielderDave Kingman), Seaver was traded to theCincinnati Reds at the trading deadline, June 15, 1977, for pitcherPat Zachry,minor league outfielderSteve Henderson, infielderDoug Flynn, andminor league outfielderDan Norman.[27][28]
Seaver went 14–3 with the Reds and won 21 games in1977, including an emotional 5–1 victory over the Mets in his return toShea Stadium. Seaver struck out 11 batters during the return game and also hit a double. He also received a lengthy ovation at theAll-Star Game, held in New York'sYankee Stadium. His departure from New York sparked sustained negative fan reaction, as the Mets became the league's worst team, finishing in last place the next three seasons. Combined with the Yankees' resurgence in the market, attendance dipped during the1978 New York Mets season and plunged during the1979 New York Mets season to 9,740 per game. M. Donald Grant was fired after the 1978 season, and Joe McDonald was fired after the 1979 season following a sale of the team to publishing magnateNelson Doubleday, Jr.[29] In a sardonic nod to the general manager, Shea Stadium acquired the nickname "Grant's Tomb".[30]
After having thrown five one-hitters for the Mets, including two games in which no-hit bids were broken up in the ninth inning, Seaver recorded a 4–0no-hitter for the Reds in1978 against theSt. Louis Cardinals on June 16 atRiverfront Stadium.[31] It was the only no-hitter of his professional career.[32]
He led the Cincinnati pitching staff in1979, when the Reds won the Western Division, and again in the strike-shortened1981 season, when the Reds had the best record in the major leagues. In the latter season, Seaver, with his sterling 14–2 performance, was a close runner-up toFernando Valenzuela for the 1981 Cy Young Award. (Seaver had finished third and fourth in two other previous years.) In 1981, during one of his two losses, Seaver recorded his3,000th strikeout againstKeith Hernandez of theSt. Louis Cardinals. Then in1982 he suffered through an injury-ridden campaign, finishing the season 5–13.[33]
In six seasons with the Reds, Seaver was 75–46 with a 3.18 earned run average and 42 complete games in 158 starts.[33]
On December 16, 1982, Seaver was traded back to the Mets, forCharlie Puleo,Lloyd McClendon, and Jason Felice.[4] On April 5,1983, he tiedWalter Johnson's major league record of 14 Opening Day starts, shutting out thePhiladelphia Phillies for six innings in a 2–0 Mets win.[34] However, he posted a subpar 9–14 record that season.[33]
The Mets exercised an option on Seaver's contract worth $750,000 for the1984 season.[35] Overall, in 12 seasons with the Mets, Seaver was 198–124 with a 2.57 earned run average in 3,045 innings with 171 complete games, winning three Cy Young awards, the 1969 World Series and the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year Award.[33]
On January 20, 1984, theChicago White Sox claimed Seaver from the Mets in a free-agent compensation draft.[4] The Mets, especially general managerFrank Cashen, incorrectly assumed that no one would pursue a high-salaried, 39-year-old starting pitcher and left him off the protected list.[36]
Seaver pitched two and a half seasons in Chicago and recorded his lastshutout on July 19,1985, against the visitingIndians. In an anomaly, Seaver won two games on May 9, 1984; he pitched the 25th and final inning of a game suspended the day before, picking up the win inrelief against theMilwaukee Brewers, before starting and winning the day's regularly scheduled game, also facing the Brewers.[37][38]
On August 4, 1985, Seaver recorded his 300th victory atYankee Stadium over theYankees, throwing a complete game 4–1 victory, with Mets announcer Lindsey Nelson in the booth.[39][40]
Seaver started on Opening Day for the 16th and final time of his career in1986.[41] In three seasons with the White Sox, Seaver was 33–28 with a 3.67 earned run average and 17 complete games in 81 appearances.[33]
The White Sox traded Seaver to theBoston Red Sox forSteve Lyons in mid-season.[4] Seaver's 311th and final win came on August 18, 1986, against theMinnesota Twins.
A knee injury prevented Seaver from appearing against the Mets in theWorld Series with the Red Sox, but he received among the loudest ovations during player introductions prior to Game 1. Roger Clemens attributes the time he shared with Seaver as teammates in 1986 as instrumental in helping him make the transition from thrower to pitcher. The Red Sox did not offer Seaver a contract to his liking for the 1987 season. His 1986 salary was $1 million; the Red Sox offered $500,000, which Seaver declined. When no new contract agreement was reached, Seaver was granted free agency on November 12, 1986.[4]
Seaver was 5–7 with a 3.80 earned run average in 16 starts with Boston in 1986.[33]
In 1987, theMets starting rotation was decimated by injury and they sought help from Seaver. Though no contract was signed, Seaver joined the club on June 6, and was hit hard in an exhibition game against the Triple-ATidewater Tides on June 11. After similarly poor outings on June 16 and 20, he announced his retirement, saying that, "there were no more pitches in this 42-year-old arm that were competitive. I've used them all up."[42]
Only Seaver andWalter Johnson have 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and an earned run average under 3.00.[43] Seaver's 16 Opening-Day starts are an MLB record.[24] At the time of his retirement, he was third onMLB's all-time strikeout list (3,640), trailing only his former teammateNolan Ryan andSteve Carlton; he currently ranks sixth all time. Seaver is tied with Ryan for theseventh-most shutouts in MLB history (61).[44] His feat of striking out ten consecutive batters has only been matched once, byAaron Nola in 2021.[45] He also holds the record for consecutive 200-strikeout seasons with nine (1968–1976).[44] Seaver's 12 All-Star Game selections are the most of any starting pitcher in MLB history (Mariano Rivera, acloser, had 13 selections).
Seaver could also help himself at the plate. A decent hitter and proficient bunter, Seaver hit 12 home runs during his career, along with a relatively solid lifetime batting average, for a pitcher, of .154.[33]
| Category | W | L | PCT | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | SO | WP | HBP | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 311 | 205 | .603 | 2.86 | 656 | 647 | 231 | 61 | 1 | 4782.2 | 3971 | 1521 | 1674 | 380 | 1390 | 3640 | 126 | 76 | [33] |
The Mets retired Seaver's uniform number 41 in 1988 in a Tom Seaver Day ceremony, making him the franchise's first player to be so honored.[46]
Seaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 7,1992, with the then-highest percentage of votes with 98.84%. He was named on 425 out of 430 ballots. Three of the five ballots that had omitted Seaver were blank, cast by writers protesting the Hall's decision to makePete Rose ineligible for consideration. One ballot was sent by a writer who was recovering from open-heart surgery and failed to notice Seaver's name. The fifth "no" vote was cast by a writer who said he never voted for any player in their first year of eligibility.[47] Seaver is one of two players enshrined in the Hall of Fame with a Mets cap on his plaque, along withMike Piazza. He was also inducted into theNew York Mets Hall of Fame,[46] the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame,[48] and theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.[49]
In 1999, Seaver ranked 32nd onSporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[50] the only player to have spent a majority of his career with the Mets to make the list. In 2016,ESPN.com ranked Seaver 34th on its list of the greatest MLB players,[51] whileThe Athletic ranked him the 41st-greatest player in 2020.[52]
On September 28, 2006, Seaver was chosen as the "Hometown Hero" for the Mets franchise byESPN.[53] Seaver made a return to Shea Stadium during the "Shea Goodbye" closing ceremony on September 28, 2008, where he threw out the final pitch in the history of the stadium to Piazza.[54] Along with Piazza he opened the Mets' new home,Citi Field with theceremonial first pitch on April 13, 2009.
The2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was dedicated to Seaver. He concluded the introduction of the starting lineup ceremonies by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Mets playerDavid Wright participated.[55] In 2019, the New York City renamed the street outside Citi Field from 126th Street to Seaver Way and changed the ballpark's address to 41 Seaver Way,[56][57] a salute of the number he wore throughout his career.[58]
In 2017, Seaver was awarded theBob Feller Act of Valor Award as the Hall of Fame recipient.[59]
On April 15, 2022, at their home opener against theArizona Diamondbacks, the Mets unveiled a 10-footstatue of Seaver in front of Citi Field.[60]
Seaver's television broadcasting experience dated back to his playing career, when he was invited to serve as aWorld Series analyst forABC in1977 and forNBC in1978,1980, and1982. Also while an active player, Seaver called the1981 National League Division Series betweenMontreal andPhiladelphia and that year'sNational League Championship Series alongsideDick Enberg for NBC.[61]
After retiring as a player, Seaver worked as a televisioncolor commentator for the Mets, theNew York Yankees, and withVin Scully in 1989 for NBC. Seaver replacedJoe Garagiola[62] as NBC's lead baseball color commentator, which led to him calling the1989 All-Star Game andNational League Championship Series. He worked as an analyst for Yankees' telecasts onWPIX from1989 to1993 and for Mets' telecasts on WPIX from1999 to2005, making him one of three sportscasters to be regular announcers for both teams; the others areFran Healy andTim McCarver.
Seaver married Nancy Lynn McIntyre on June 9, 1966, in Jacksonville, Florida during Seaver's Triple-A stint. They were the parents of two daughters, Sarah and Annie. They lived inCalistoga, California, where Seaver started his own 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) vineyard, Seaver Family Vineyards,[63] on his 116-acre (47 ha) estate, in 2002.[64] His first vintage was produced in 2005.[65][66][67] He presented his two cabernets, "Nancy's Fancy" and "GTS," at an April 2010 wine-tasting event inSoHo, to positive reviews.[68]
At the annual Hall of Fame induction, Seaver was part of a "club" which includedBob Gibson,Sandy Koufax, andSteve Carlton which annually brought a bottle of wine to share at a dinner held atThe Otesaga Hotel.[69][70]
Seaver was an opponent of theVietnam War, and spoke out against it leading up to the1969 World Series.[71][72]
In 2013, it was reported that Seaver suffered from memory loss, not even remembering long-term acquaintances and experiencing symptoms of "sleep disorder, nausea, and a general overall feeling of chemical imbalance".[73][74] According to former teammateBud Harrelson, Seaver was "otherwise doing well".[75] On March 7, 2019, Seaver's family announced that he haddementia and was retiring from public life.[76]
Seaver died in his sleep as a result of complications fromLewy body dementia andCOVID-19 on August 31, 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in California. He was 75.[18][44]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York MetsOpening Day Starting pitcher 1968-1977 1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cincinnati RedsOpening Day Starting pitcher 1978-1979 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher June 16, 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | National LeaguePitcher of the Month June 1975 April 1977 August 1977 September 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lead color commentator, Major League Baseball on NBC 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lead color commentator, Major League Baseball Game of the Week 1989 | Succeeded by |
Links to related articles | |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
