“Tom Terrific” and “The Franchise” and the ’69 MIRACLE METS!

I was a New York Yankees fan first, a Houston Colt 45s next, and a Texas Rangers finally, but in 1969 I CHEERED for the NEW YORK METS! Why? Because they were AMAZING. Why? Quite a bit because of a great pitcher and a great man, TOM SEAVER, who passed on recently after a bout with and complications of Lewy body dementia and Covid-19. He was a much-too-young-to-die 75 years of age!

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame when he appeared on 425 of the 430 ballots, a record at that time of almost 99%.

Seaver was a 12-time All-Star and led the major leagues with a record of 25 wins and 7 losses in 1969. And, in 1971, he again led the majors, but this time with an ERA of 1.76.

He won 20 or more games in a season five different times and was selected as Rookie of the Year in 1967.

He played from 1967— 1986 and posted a pitching record of 311 victories and 205 losses with a 2.86 ERA.

Tom Seaver won the Cy Young pitching award three times, 1969, 1973, and 1975 while he was with the Mets, and in 1988 his team uniform #41 was officially retired from use—the first one by the Mets.

He posted 3640 strikeouts and pitched 61 “shut-out” games.

Seaver pitched for the New York Mets from 1967—1977. Unfortunately, a disagreement with the team Chairman over a new contract led to “public words,” and he was traded to Cincinnati.

Needless to say, the team’s ownership lost quite a few fans over that fiasco, and the team hierarchy and Seaver both, at least at first, seemed to carry “hard feelings” over the whole matter.

However, Seaver later said he was able to see and work in various areas of the United States that he would not have visited had the split not happened.

Despite his greatness for years and years, Tom Seaver pitched only one “nohitter,” and it came in 1978 while he was a member of the “Reds.”

He did go back to the Mets not too much later after the 1982 season, but much of the “youth and magic” had aged.

In 1984, he was picked up by the Chicago White Sox and did pitch his 300th victory while a member of that club—a 4-1 victory on a 6-hitter against the “Yankees” at their home!

To conclude this tribute, let me quote Commissioner Rob Manfred, who succinctly stated that “Tom was a GENTLEMAN, who represented the BEST of our National Pastime. And, he was synonymous with the New York Mets and their unforgettable 1969 Season!”