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This baseball legend is forever enshrined in Mets history
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | NOV. 20-NOV. 26, 2020 15
Born George Thomas
Seaver in Fresno, Calif., on
Nov. 17, 1944, Tom Seaver was
a standout pitcher for the New
York Mets, Cincinnati Reds,
Chicago White Sox and Boston
Red Sox. After a 20-year
pro baseball career from 1967
to 1986, the 13-time All-Star
and three-time Cy Young
Award winner was elected
to the Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1992 with the highest vote
percentage ever.
During his time with the
Mets, Seaver lived on 215th
Street in Bayside and on 60th
Avenue in Flushing.
The future Hall of Fame
pitcher was born into an
athletic family. His father,
Charles, was a football and
basketball standout at Stanford
University. His mother,
Betty, excelled at golf. At
Fresno High School however,
an undersized Tom Seaver
struggled to even make the
baseball team. After high
school, the scrawny Seaver
enlisted in the Marine Corps
Reserve. Having gained
weight and body strength
from military training, the
aspiring pitcher made the
team at Fresno City College.
He later earned a scholarship
to pitch for the University of
Southern California team.
While at USC, Seaver attracted
the attention of pro
scouts. He was drafted by
the Atlanta Braves in 1966,
but his contract was ruled
invalid by the baseball commissioner
because the USC
squad had played in exhibition
games that year. Seaver
was eventually signed by
the New York Mets, forever
changing the history of the
young franchise.
Tom Seaver made the
Mets roster in 1967 and went
on to earn National League
Rookie of the Year honors
that season. In 11 seasons for
the Amazins, Seaver was also
a 10 time All Star, earned the
National League Cy Young
Award three times, was a
five time National League
strikeout leader, and a World
series champion in the unforgettable
1969 season. In his
first All Star game as a Met
in 1967, a young Seaver introduced
himself to Hank Aaron,
thinking Hammerin’ Hank
had never heard of him. The
Braves slugger replied , “Kid,
I know who you are, and before
your career is over, I
guarantee you everyone in
this stadium will, too.”
In 1977, Seaver and his
golden arm were traded to
the Cincinnati Reds. In six
seasons out in Cincinnati,
he was a three-time All Star
and led the National League
in wins once, in 1981. The former
Queens resident hurled
his only no hitter with the
Reds at Riverfront Stadium
in 1978. The aging pitcher
returned to the Mets in 1983,
tying a major league record
with 14 opening day starts.
Then it was off to Chicago for
the 39-year old Seaver in 1984.
In three years with the White
Sox, Seaver notched his 300th
victory at Yankee Stadium in
1985.
The next stop for the All
Star pitcher was Boston,
where Seaver pitched his 16th
and final opening day for the
Red Sox in 1986. Although a
knee injury prevented him
from pitching in the World
Series against the Mets that
year, the home crowd at Shea
Stadium gave him a rousing
ovation before game 1. The
Mets brought Tom Seaver
back for the 1987 season. After
a poor showing in Triple A
ball, he announced his retirement,
saying “there were no
more pitches in this 42-yearold
arm that were competitive.
I’ve used them all up.”
Following retirement, the
Mets retired Seaver’s number
41 in 1988. In recognition
of his pitching greatness, he
was inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame, The New
York Mets Hall of Fame, the
Cincinnati Reds Hall of fame
and the Marine Corps Sports
Hall of Fame. In 2019, the
Mets changed the address of
Citi Field to 41 Seaver Way.
The same year, NFL great
Tom Brady applied for a
trademark for the nickname
“Tom Terrific,” but was denied
because the name “may
falsely suggest a connection
with Tom Seaver.” The original
Tom Terrific passed away
in his sleep on Aug. 31, 2020
due to complications from dementia
and COVID-19.
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