Seaver, "Tom" (Thomas E.)
Baseball
b. Nov. 17, 1944, Fresno, CA
"Tom Terrific" was the first genuine superstar for the New York Mets. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-handed pitcher joined the team in 1967 and had a 16-13 record with a 2.76 ERA. After a 16-12 mark and a 2.20 ERA in his second season, Seaver helped pitch the Mets to the NL pennant and World Series championship in 1969.
He led in victories and winning percentage with a 25-7 record to win his first Cy Young Award. He was also named male athlete of the year by the Associated Press. Seaver had a 1-0 record in the league championship series and was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA when the Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles in a five-game World Series.
Seaver had a league-leading 2.82 ERA and 283 strikeouts in 1970 and led in both categories again in 1971, when he had a 1.76 ERA and 289 strikeouts. He won his second Cy Young Award in 1973, going 19-10 and leading the league with 18 complete games, 251 strikeouts, and a 2.08 ERA.
The Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds in the league championship series, Seaver winning 1 of 2 games and giving up just 3 earned runs while striking out 17 in 16 2/3 innings. He was 0-1 in 2 starts, despite a 2.40 ERA, in a seven-game World Series loss to the Oakland Athletics.
After an 11-11 mark in 1974, Seaver won his third Cy Young Award in 1975. He led the league in victories with a 22-9 record and in strikeouts with 243 that season, and he was the strikeout leader again with 235 in 1976, though his record dropped to 14-11.
Seaver was outspoken in his criticism of Mets' management in 1977 and he was sent to the Cincinnati Reds during the season in a controversial trade that angered New York fans. He finished the year with a combined 21-6 record and a league-leading 7 shutouts.
He never had another 20-victory season, but he led the NL with a .727 winning percentage and 5 shutouts in 1979, when he had a 16-6 mark. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Seaver's 14 victories against only 2 losses led the league, as did his .875 winning percentage.
Suffering from arm trouble in 1982, Seaver was only 5-13. He returned to the Mets and had a 9-14 record in 1983, then enjoyed two effective seasons with the AL's Chicago White Sox, compiling marks of 15-11 in 1984 and 16-11 in 1985. He retired after slipping to 7-13 with the White Sox and the Boston Red Sox the following year.
Seaver used powerful leg drive to throw a hard fastball and sharp-breaking slider. He followed through so strongly that his right knee often scraped the mound. Pinpoint control and the ability to outsmart hitters were just as important to his success.
In 20 seasons, Seaver had a 311-205 record with 61 shutouts and a 2.86 ERA. He struck out 3,640 hitters and walked only 1,390 in 4,782 2/3 innings. On April 22, 1970, Seaver struck out ten hitters in a row, a major-league record, and tied a record with 19 strikeouts in 9 innings against the San Diego Padres. He ranks fourth all-time in career strikeouts and eighth in shutouts.