Tom Seaver
From The Met Wiki
Tom Seaver was a pitcher who spent more than half of his 20-year standout career with the Mets. In 12 seasons with the team, he recorded 198 wins (plus three more in post-season) and a 2.57 earned run average. Tom had 2,541 strikeouts and 171 complete games as a Mets pitcher.
Seaver began his major league career in 1967. As a rookie, he led the Mets with 16 wins, 251 innings pitched and 170 strikeouts. Tom also recorded a save in the All-Star Game at Anaheim and was named National League Rookie of the Year. In his debut on April 13, Seaver struck out eight batters in five and one-third innings as the Mets defeated the Pirates, 3-2, at Shea Stadium. Tom singled and walked in his two plate appearances in the game. At Shea on April 20, he got his first career win with a 6-1 Mets victory over the Cubs. At Chicago on April 25, Seaver recorded his first complete game and scored the winning run in a 2-1 Mets victory over the Cubs in 10 innings. He struck out 12 batters in a 7-2 Mets triumph over the Astros in the second game of a doubleheader at Shea on July 19. Tom pitched his first major league shutout with a four-hitter for a 3-0 Mets win over the Pirates on August 13 at Shea. He also had a complete game shutout for a 1-0 win over the Astros at Shea on September 23.
In 1968, Seaver achieved his first of a record nine consecutive 200-strikeout season. He fanned 205 batters while posting a 2.20 ERA in 36 games pitched. On April 15, Tom retired 24 consecutive hitters in ten innings in the Mets’ eventual 1-0 loss in 24 innings at Houston. He pitched all ten innings for the win as the Mets defeated the Dodgers, 1-0, at Los Angeles on June 10. At Philadelphia on July 7, Tom got his only major league save in the Mets' 4-2 victory over the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. He recorded 10 strikeouts for a complete game 3-0 win at Pittsburgh on July 18. He struck out 11 for an 8-2 Mets victory over the Cardinals at Shea on August 30. Seaver also pitched a three-hit shutout for a 3-0 Mets triumph on September 25 at Atlanta.
Seaver earned his nickname of “Tom Terrific” in 1969. He had an ERA of 2.21 and led the National League with 25 wins in leading the Mets to their first World Championship. Following the season, Tom received the National League Cy Young and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Awards. At San Diego on June 8, Seaver had 14 strikeouts in seven innings for the win as the Mets defeated the Padres, 3-2. He retired the first 25 batters before finishing with a one-hit shutout and a 4-0 Mets win over the Cubs at Shea on July 9. Tom had a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts for an 8-0 Mets victory on August 31 at San Francisco. He became the Mets’ first ever 20-game winner for a season with a 5-1 triumph over the Phillies at Shea on September 5. Seaver also pitched a complete game for a 7-1 win over the Cubs on September 9 at Shea.
In the ’69 post-season, Seaver was the winning pitcher in the Mets’ 9-5 victory at Atlanta in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. He also pitched a complete game for the win in the Mets’ 2-1 triumph over the Orioles in 10 innings in Game 4 of World Series at Shea.
In 1970, Seaver had a team-leading 18 wins and 19 complete games. He also topped the National League with 283 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA for the year. Tom was also the league’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game at Cincinnati. At Shea on April 22, Seaver recorded 19 strikeouts in a 2-1 Mets win over the Padres at Shea. He fanned the final 10 San Diego batters to end this game. Tom pitched a complete game with no walks for a 3-1 Mets victory at Los Angeles on April 26. He had a one-hitter with 15 strikeouts for a 4-0 Mets win on May 15 at Philadelphia. At Shea on July 9, Seaver hit his first major league home run and pitched a complete game as the Mets defeated the Expos, 7-1.
Seaver had his finest season in 1971. He struck out 289 batters (setting a National League record for righthanded pitchers) and posted a league-leading 1.76 ERA. Tom had four shutouts among his 20 wins for the year. Seaver pitched a complete game with no walks for a 12-2 Mets win at St. Louis on April 26. At Montreal on June 24, he pitched a complete game and homered in the eighth inning for the winning run of a 2-1 Mets triumph over the Expos. Tom recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in pitching a shutout for a 3-0 Mets win at Philadelphia on June 29. He threw a one-hitter for a 3-1 Mets victory over the Pirates on September 26 at Shea. Seaver got his 20th win of the season with a complete game for a 6-1 Mets triumph over the Cardinals at Shea on September 30.
In 1972, Seaver led the Mets with 21 wins, 249 strikeouts and 13 complete games. He also pitched a team-high 262 innings for the season. In the season opener at Shea on April 15, Tom and reliever Tug McGraw combined for a shutout and a 4-0 Mets win over the Pirates. He pitched a complete game with no walks for a 5-1 Mets victory at San Diego on April 26. Seaver recorded his 100th career win as the Mets defeated the Dodgers, 2-1, in the first half of a day-night doubleheader on May 11 at Shea. He hit a home run in the seventh inning to give himself and the Mets a 2-1 win at Cincinnati on June 18. Tom took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before settling for a one-hit shutout and a 2-0 Mets triumph over the Padres in a doubleheader opener on July 4 at Shea. He recorded his 20th win of the year with a two-hit shutout for a 1-0 Mets victory at Pittsburgh on September 29.
Tom was the Mets’ top pitcher again in 1973. He won 19 games in the team’s National League pennant-winning season. Seaver was the National League leader with 18 complete games, 251 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA in ‘73. He also won the league’s Cy Young Award for the second time.
To open the ’73 season, Seaver pitched a five-hit shutout for a 3-0 Mets win over the Phillies at Shea on April 6. He limited the Pirates to two hits for a complete game 6-0 Mets victory at Pittsburgh on May 12. Seaver shut out the Pirates on four hits for a 3-0 Mets triumph in the first game of a doubleheader on August 1 at Shea. He pitched a five-hitter against the Pirates for a 10-2 win at Shea on September 21 that put the Mets into first place in the Eastern Division. Tom was also the winning pitcher in the Mets’ division-clinching 6-4 triumph at Chicago on October 1.
In the ’73 National League Championship Series, Seaver posted a 1.62 ERA against the Reds. He struck out 13 batters, but was tagged with the loss as the Mets were defeated, 2-1, in Game 1 of the Series at Cincinnati. In Game 5 at Shea, he recorded the win in the Mets’ 7-2 victory that clinched the pennant. Tom also had a 2.40 ERA with 18 strikeouts in the ’73 World Series against the Athletics.
Seaver had a sub-par season in 1974. He had a won-lost record of 11-11 and his ERA reached a career-worst 3.20. Still, he chalked up his record-tying seventh straight 200-strikeout season (totaling 201) and matched his personal high of five shutouts for the year. At San Francisco on April 26, Tom allowed four hits and no walks for a complete game 6-0 Mets victory over the Giants. He fanned 13 batters for a 5-0 Mets win over the Expos at Shea on May 17. At St. Louis on July 26, Seaver pitched a four-hitter for a 3-0 Mets triumph over the Cardinals. He shut out the Astros on five hits for a 7-0 Mets victory at Shea on August 29. In the first game of a doubleheader at Shea on September 13, Seaver pitched a complete game four hitter for a 6-0 Mets win over the Cubs.
The 1975 season was a return to dominance for Tom. He recorded 22 wins and 243 strikeouts to lead the National League. During the year, Seaver was named the league’s Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Month twice each. He also earned his third Cy Young Award. On April 8, Seaver pitched all nine innings to get the win in a 2-1 Mets victory over the Phillies in the season opener at Shea. He was the winning pitcher in the Mets’ 6-3 triumph over the Dodgers at Shea on May 26. At San Diego on June 15, Tom got a pair of singles and pitched a three-hit shutout for a 6-0 Mets win over the Padres. He pitched a three-hitter for a 7-0 Mets win over the Expos at Shea on August 7. On Labor Day afternoon, Seaver got his 20th win of the season and reached the 200-strikeout mark for a record-setting eight consecutive year as the Mets defeated the Pirates, 3-0, at Shea.
Seaver led the National League in strikeouts for the fifth time in 1976. His total of 235 gave him his ninth straight season of 200 or more. Tom had a 2.59 ERA for the season and pitched five shutouts for the fifth time in his career. At Shea on April 9, Seaver was the winning pitcher in the Mets’ 3-2 season-opening triumph over the Expos. He pitched a three-hit shutout for an 11-0 Mets win at Los Angeles on June 4. Seaver pitched a four-hitter for a 4-0 Mets victory at San Francisco on August 24. He held the Phillies to four hits for a 1-0 complete game win for the Mets at Shea on September 3. Tom struck out 12 batters and pitched a five-hit shutout for a 5-0 Mets triumph at Pittsburgh on September 13.
In 1977, Seaver pitched 96 innings in 13 games in his 11th season with the team. He had a 7-3 won-lost record and a 3.00 ERA. Tom was the winning pitcher in the Mets’ 5-3 victory in the season opening game at Chicago on April 7. He shut out the Cardinals and singled home two runs as the Mets won their home opener, 4-0, at Shea on April 12. Seaver pitched a one-hitter for a 6-0 complete game win over the Cubs at Shea on April 17. He limited the Reds to five hits and pitched a shutout for an 8-0 Mets win at Shea on June 7. At Houston on June 12, Tom pitched a complete game for a 3-1 Mets victory over the Astros.
On June 15, 1977, Seaver was traded to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman. He pitched five and one-half seasons with the Cincinnati team. Tom returned to New York following the 1982 season.
Donned in a Mets’ uniform once again, Tom led the team with 135 strikeouts in 1983. He also had team-highs of 34 starts and 231 innings pitched during the year. In his first game back on April 5, Tom combined with reliever (and eventual winner) Doug Sisk for a five-hit shutout as the Mets defeated the Phillies, 2-0, in the season opener at Shea. In the first game of a doubleheader at Shea on April 20, he got his first win of the season with a three-hit shutout for a 6-0 Mets victory over the Pirates. Seaver pitched his last shutout as a Met with a five-hitter for a 3-0 win on May 11 at Houston. He recorded his final Shea win in the Mets’ 5-1 victory over the Cubs on August 13. Tom got his last win as a Met in the team’s 7-6 triumph over the Cubs on September 24 at Chicago.
From 1984 to 1986, Seaver pitched for the Chicago White Sox. He joined the Boston Red Sox during the ’86 season to end his career. Tom was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. He also served as a Mets’ television broadcaster from 1999 to 2005.
