The World of Baseball

There have been elite pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB).  Some were more dominant than others.  When you think about the New York Mets, some players stand out like Mike Piazza, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, and David Wright.  As great as they were, they are not on the level of Tom Seaver.  Seaver pitched in MLB for 20 seasons from 1967 to 1986 with the New York Mets (1967-1977, 1983), Cincinnati Reds (1977-1982), Chicago White Sox (1984-1986), and the Boston Red Sox (1986).

            Tom Seaver was a rookie for the Mets in 1967.  He was 16-13 with a 2.76 ERA.  Seaver won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year.  He would continue to excel for the Mets for the next decade.  Seaver was one of the best pitchers in MLB.

            Seaver won his first NL CY Young Award in 1969, the year the Miracle Mets won the World Series.  He was 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA.  The 25 wins led the NL.  His best season may have been in 1971.  Even though Seaver finished 2^nd in NL CY Young voting to Fergie Jenkins, he led the NL in ERA (1.76), strikeouts (289), and WHIP (0.946).

            Tom Seaver was a great athlete.  He had the combination of talent and toughness on the mound.  He was the face of the Mets until he was traded to the Reds in 1977.  Seaver would throw his only no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1978 with the Reds.  He won his 300^th game with the White Sox against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 4, 1985.

            Seaver won three NL CY Young Awards (1969, 1973, 1975).  He also won three NL ERA titles (1970, 1971, 1973).  Seaver led the NL in strikeouts five times (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975).  He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1992.  Seaver is considered one of the best right-handed pitchers of all time.  He’s one player I would have enjoyed watching.