Tom Seaver
| Tom Seaver | |
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| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 17, 1944 Fresno , United States 
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| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 13, 1967 with the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| September 19, 1986 with the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Win - Loss | 311-205 |
| ERA | 2.86 |
| Strikeouts | 3,640 |
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| Awards | |
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| member of | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Recorded | 1992 |
| Quota | 98.8% (first ballot) |
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver (born November 17, 1944 in Fresno , California ) is a retired American baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB) on the position of pitcher . His nicknames are Tom Terrific and The Franchise .
Life
Seaver stood out as an excellent pitcher even in high school . He was able to compensate for his lack of size and strength with his strong control on the throwing hill. In college he played for Fresno City College and the University of Southern California . In 1966 he signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves , which, however, was declared invalid by the NCAA and baseball commissioner William Eckert . They stated that other teams that offered Seaver the same terms as the Braves could sign him. The New York Mets , Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies were interested in him and the Mets were selected in a lottery.
Tom Seaver played his first game in the National League on April 13, 1967. He won 16 games that season out of the 61 his team won throughout the season. After these achievements, he was voted Rookie of the Year in the National League. In 1968 he again won 16 games and was able to record over 200 strikeouts for the first time. This streak would last for nine years.
He had his first really big season with the Mets in 1969. With 25 wins, seven losses and an ERA of 2, he led the NL in victories. On July 9, 1969, he almost succeeded in a perfect game that was only prevented in the 9th inning by Jimmy Qualls of the Chicago Cubs . He was named Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine , as well as the Associated Press , won the NL Cy Young Award and the Mets won the NL East title ahead of the Cubs. In the National League Championship Series, the New Yorkers defeated the Atlanta Braves and faced the favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series . In the first game of the series he gave a home run against the first batsman of the series Don Buford and the Mets lost the game 1: 4. In game four he was able to record a 2-1 win in a game over 10 innings. Overall, the Mets won the series in five games.
On April 22, 1970 he received his Cy Young trophy before the game against the San Diego Padres . In the game he managed a record with 19 strikeouts, with the last ten batsmen of the game he even managed this one after the other. Seaver won his second Cy Young Award in 1973. He led the league in ERA and strikeouts. In the first game of the National League Championship Series he scored 13 strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds , but in the eighth and ninth innings he had to allow Pete Rose and Johnny Bench home runs , which led to a 2-1 loss for the Mets. In the decisive fifth game Seaver was able to claim victory. In the World Series against the Oakland Athletics he showed good performance, but could not book a win and his team lost.
1975 was his last big season for the New York Mets. With a record of 22 wins and nine losses, he led the NL in wins and strikeouts and won his third Cy Young Award. During the 1976 season, Seaver fell out with the management of the Mets and was then transferred to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977 . In total, he had 20 wins with the Mets and the Reds this season, his last in which he reached that mark. On June 16, 1978 Tom Seaver threw a no-hitter in the 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals . In the season shortened by the strike in 1981 Seaver had a record of 14-2 and thus the most wins in the league. In a controversial decision he lost to Fernando Valenzuela at the Cy Young Award . In 1983 the Reds transferred him back to the New York Mets.
The management of the Mets incurred renewed anger of the fans after the end of the season. Not expecting another team to sign the 39-year-old, they left the free agent unprotected and the Chicago White Sox secured his services. Here he won 15 and 16 games in the next two seasons. On August 4, 1985, he won his 300th game at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees . After a poor start to the 1986 season, he then moved to the Boston Red Sox at the end of his career . His last game he played on September 19, 1986. Due to an ankle injury, he could not participate in the World Series against the Mets.
In 1992 Tom Seaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame . After his playing career, he worked as a baseball commentator for various broadcasters.
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Tom Seaver biography
- Tom Seaver in the Baseball Hall of Fame (English)
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Seaver, Tom |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Seaver, George Thomas (full name); Tom Terrific (nickname); The Franchise (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 17, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fresno , California |