Hall of Fame pitcher George Thomas Seaver has died in his Calistoga, California home at the age of 75 due to complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19. Tom Seaver is regarded as one of the best pitchers of his era and was the greatest player in the history of the New York Mets. Seaver, who has been battling dementia for several years, has not made a public appearance since March of 2019.
While the Mets family, the baseball world, and all fans have known that Seaver was ailing for quite some time, his passing still comes as a shock. For the older generations who watched Seaver pitch every five days, a hero and idol has been lost. Those fans will forever feel that part of their childhood has died along with Seaver.
For newer generations, the stories and old videos of Seaver’s greatness makes them wish they could have had the privilege to see him play. His legendary career and presence can only be matched by those special once-in-a-lifetime players to ever grace a baseball diamond.
Draft Issues
The Los Angeles Dodgers originally drafted Tom Seaver in the 10th round of the 1965 amateur draft while he was already playing for the University of Southern California. Seaver did not sign with the Dodgers due to his high salary demand and remained at USC. The Atlanta Braves drafted Seaver in the 1966 secondary January draft with the 20th pick. After Seaver signed a contract with the Braves, then-commissioner William Eckert voided the contract because USC had already played two exhibition games.
After the NCAA ruled Seaver ineligible, Seaver’s father complained to Commissioner Eckert and threatened a lawsuit against MLB. Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves offer to Seaver. The Mets, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians, matched the Braves offer. The Mets won a special lottery and the rights to sign Seaver. The rest is history.
The Franchise
Although Seaver played on four different teams, he was most known as a member of the New York Mets. Affectionately known as “The Franchise,” Seaver pitched 12 seasons out of his 20-year career in New York. Seaver was not only the best player in the history of the Mets but was the heart and the cornerstone of the entire franchise during his time and beyond.
It’s hard to find another player who had a better start to his career than Seaver did. In a nine-year stretch, Seaver won the Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and won the Cy Young award in 1969, 1973, and 1975. Seaver also was a part of the 1969 “Miracle Mets” World Championship team and the 1973 team that lost the World Series to the Oakland Athletics in seven games. Then-Mets manager Yogi Berra made the controversial decision to pitch Seaver on three days rest with a 3-2 series lead. The Mets ultimately lost the Series, and fans never forgave Berra for that.
Traded to the Reds
In the darkest day in the history of the Mets, Seaver was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15th, 1977 in what is known as the “Midnight Massacre.” Seaver was in the midst of a contract dispute with the Mets and was not happy with the direction of the team. The Mets received Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman, and Pat Zachry in return for Seaver. In addition, Dave Kingman was also traded the same day to the San Diego Padres. The Met fan base never fully recovered from losing their beloved hero.
Seaver’s Reds career was very good but not as spectacular as his time with the Mets. Upon joining the Big Red Machine, Seaver posted a 75-46 record with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.177 WHIP in six seasons. Seaver also pitched the only no-hitter of his career in 1978 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds only won the division once in Seaver’s time with the team. After the 1982 season, he was traded back to the Mets. Seaver’s second stint with the Mets only lasted one season.
In 1984 he was selected by the Chicago White Sox with a free agency compensation pick. On August 4th, 1985, Seaver was in search of his 300th career win. Ironically, Seaver was facing the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium. Seaver, who was 40 years old, was brilliant that day, pitching a complete game victory to secure his 300th win.
Midway through the 1986 season, the White Sox traded Seaver to the Boston Red Sox. Seaver helped the Red Sox win the division, but, sadly, a knee injury kept him out of the playoffs and the World Series against the Mets.
Hall of Fame Career
“Tom Terrific” pitched 20 seasons with a 311-205 record, a 2.86 ERA, and a 1.121 WHIP. In 4,783 innings Seaver struck out 3,640 batters. Seaver pitched 231 complete games with 61 of those being shutouts. The accolades for Seaver are too numerous to list. Seaver has the lowest ERA in baseball history over his first 175 starts, 2.33. In 1992, Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time. Seaver became the first player in the Hall of Fame to don a New York Mets cap.
On April 22, 1970, the San Diego Padres visited Shea Stadium to face Seaver. Seaver was brilliant in this game, pitching a two-hit, one-walk complete game with 19 strikeouts in a 2-1 Mets victory. Seaver struck out the last 10 batters to face him upon completing the game.
Baseball Community
Upon the announcement of the passing of Tom Seaver, the baseball world has been flooding social media with stories of how great a pitcher he was.
Sparky Anderson
Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who had Seaver on his 1977 and ’78 Reds teams, said “My idea of managing is giving the ball to Tom Seaver and sitting down and watching him work.”
Commissioner Manfred
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement, calling Seaver “one of the greatest pitchers of all time” and “a gentleman who represented the best of our National Pastime.”
“He was synonymous with the New York Mets and their unforgettable 1969 season,” Manfred said. “After their improbable World Series Championship, Tom became a household name to baseball fans — a responsibility he carried out with distinction throughout his life.
Jerry Koosman
“A great leader of our team,” fellow starter Jerry Koosman said. “When he wasn’t pitching he was always there to help the other guys on the staff.”
Mike Piazza
“I’ll always treasure our friendship,” Mike Piazza said. “Two of my fondest memories are walking out of Shea Stadium together after the last game and then when he threw the ceremonial first pitch to me at Citi Field the next year. He was one of a kind.”
Doc Gooden
“It’s a sad day for me,” Dwight Gooden said. Gooden’s career with the Mets began in 1984, the year after Seaver’s final season with the team. One of the first calls I got after I won my Cy Young in 1985 was from Tom. That meant the world to me.”
The Wilpon Family
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Mets Legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Tom was nicknamed ‘The Franchise’ and ‘Tom Terrific’ because of how valuable he truly was to our organization and our loyal fans, as his #41 was the first player number retired by the organization in 1988. He was simply the greatest Mets player of all time and among the best to ever play the game, which culminated with his near-unanimous induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.”
Keith Hernandez
“I am deeply saddened of the passing of Tom Seaver,” Keith Hernandez tweeted. “I had the honor of unsuccessfully hitting against him & having as a teammate. He is the greatest Met of all time. No one will ever surpass him that wears the orange & blue. My condolences to Nancy & his family. Tears.”
Ron Darling
Former Mets pitcher Ron Darling recalled a time when he visited Seaver’s house.
“I was a September call-up in 1983. Tom invited me over to his house in Connecticut to have dinner. He was doing some gardening when I got there and instructed me to wait in his study/library for a bit. All of his Cy Youngs were there, as well as pictures and framed magazine covers. In the corner of the room there was a dresser with the drawers partly ajar. Each drawer was teeming with baseballs, some dirtier than the others. All of them had writing on them, but I was too afraid to touch Tom’s personal stuff. He called in that he was ready and off to dinner we went.
“After a glass of wine or two, I mustered up the nerve to ask him about the dresser stuffed with used baseballs. His answer, ‘Oh, those are the shutouts.’ I didn’t ask any more questions that night.”
Mets Announcers
New York Mets play-by-play announcers Gary Cohen and Howie Rose remembered “The Franchise” and what he has meant to the Mets and the baseball world.
Tom Seaver is survived by his wife Nancy and their two daughters, Sarah and Anne.
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