1976 Topps #600 - Tom Seaver

• Tom Seaver was one of my favorite players. Three posters of ballplayers were on my wall during this time -- Seaver, Rod Carew, and Pete Rose.
• A year-by-year entry of this legend's 21-year career would be quite long, so here are the highlights:
• National League Rookie of the Year in 1967
• Won three NL Cy Young Awards (1969, 1973, 1975)
• Won 311 games in his career
• Had 20 or more wins five times: 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977
• Led the NL in victories three times (1969, 1975, 1981)
• Had a 2.86 career ERA and led the NL in ERA three times (1970, 1971, 1973)
• Had 3640 career strikeouts
• Led the NL in strikeouts in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, and 1976
• Struck out over 200 batters in nine straight seasons (1968-1976), narrowly missed the 200 plateau in 1977 (196), and then struck out 226 in 1978.
• Postseason record:
• 1969 NLCS 1-0, 6.43 ERA in one start
• 1969 World Series 1-1, 3.00 ERA in two starts (pitched a complete-game 2-1 victory in the series-clinching game 5)
• 1973 NLCS 1-1, 1.62 ERA in two starts
• 1973 World Series 0-1, 2.40 ERA in two starts
• 1979 NLCS 0-0, 2.25 ERA in one start
• Was a 12-time All Star. All Star Game record:
• 1967 - pitched a scoreless 15th inning to earn the save
• 1968 - pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five batters
• 1969 - on the roster but did not pitch
• 1970 - started the game and pitched three scoreless innings
• 1971 - on the roster but did not pitch
• 1972 - on the roster but did not pitch
• 1973 - pitched a scoreless 8th inning
• 1975 - pitched on inning (the 6th) and got a blown save as he allowed a 3-run homer to Carl Yastrzemski
• 1976 - pitched two innings (4th and 5th) and allowed one run on a Fred Lynn solo homer
• 1977 - pitched the 6th and 7th innings and allowed three runs (two earned)
• 1978 - on the roster but did not pitch
• 1981 - pitched one inning (2nd) and allowed a run on a Ken Singleton solo home run
• Pitched for the New York Mets from 1967 until the middle of the 1977 season
• Was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for four players on June 15, 1977
• Traded back to the Mets after the 1982 season
• Pitched one season for the Mets (1983) but was left unprotected in the free agent compensation draft and was taken by the Chicago White Sox
• Pitched for the White Sox from 1984 until the middle of the 1986 season
• Won his 300th game on August 4, 1985 against the New York Yankees
• Traded to the Boston Red Sox for Steve Lyons on June 29, 1986
• Finished the 1986 season with the Red Sox but was left off of the post season roster due to a knee injury
• Attempted a comeback with the Mets in June 1987 but didn't pitch well in three minor league appearances and retired
• Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992 with the highest percentage of all time (98.84% - 425 of 430 ballots)
• Seaver is the only player in the Hall of Fame who is wearing a Mets cap
• Seaver has done a lot of broadcasting for NBC and for the Mets and Yankees since the end of his playing career
• Tom and his wife own a vineyard in California
• Baseball Digest articles:
• The New Robin Roberts - August 1967
• The Many Faces of Tom Seaver - June 1973
• Tom Seaver Still Thrives as Major League Winner - April 1982
• 300th Victory Added to the Tom Seaver Legend - November 1985
• Tom Seaver Picks His Ten Most Memorable Games - November 1988
• Liked to face: Rance Mulliniks (.000 in 16 AB); Joe Pepitone (.043 in 23 AB); Ken Singleton (.061 in 33 AB)
• Hated to face: Steve Ontiveros (.500 in 18 AB); Terry Puhl (.444 in 45 AB); Chris Cannnizzaro (.429 in 21 AB)

Footage of a very young Tom Seaver in his first major league game


Tom Seaver on The Baseball Bunch