Legendary Met and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver died Monday at the age of 75, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday night.
A look back at the memorable career and life of “Tom Terrific”:
Nov. 17, 1944: Born in Fresno, Calif.
1965: As a sophomore at USC, Seaver goes 10-2 and is drafted in the 10th round by the Dodgers. But the two sides can’t come to an agreement and he returns to school.
April 3, 1966: The Mets win the rights to Seaver courtesy of a special drawing that also includes the Indians and Phillies after commissioner William Eckert rules the Braves’ Richmond minor league team had illegally given him a $40,000 signing bonus. It was ruled improper because USC’s season had already begun and rules stated a player couldn’t be signed during the school season.
1967: Seaver takes the National League by storm, winning the Rookie of the Year after going 16-13 with a 2.76 ERA.
1969: Seaver wins the first of his three Cy Young awards, notching a 25-7 record, 2.21 ERA, five shutouts and 208 strikeouts, and helping the Mets win their first of two World Series crowns.
1973: Seaver wins his second Cy Young after producing a 2.08 ERA and 251 strikeouts, helping the Mets reach the World Series, where they lose in seven games to the Athletics.
June 15, 1977: The Mets trade Seaver to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman, after he clashed with M. Donald Grant, the team’s chairman of the board, over his contract. Grant becomes a villain among Mets fans, and the controversial move is dubbed the “Midnight Massacre.”
June 16, 1978: After throwing four one-hitters with the Mets, Seaver twirls a no-hitter for the Reds in a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals.
Dec. 16, 1982: Seaver returns to the Mets, dealt by the Reds in exchange for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice. He pitches the Mets to an Opening Day shutout of the Phillies that season, taking the ball for his team’s opener for the 14th time in his career.
Jan. 20, 1984: The White Sox claim Seaver from the Mets in a free-agent compensation draft. Not expecting a high-priced, 39-year-old pitcher to get selected, the Mets leave him unprotected.
Aug. 4, 1985: Seaver wins his 300th game in New York as a member of the White Sox, beating the Yankees, 4-1, in a complete-game performance.
June 29, 1986: Seaver is moved again, this time by the White Sox to the Red Sox for Steve Lyons. Ironically, he is in the visiting dugout at Shea Stadium when the Mets win the World Series in October that year.
June 6, 1987: Seaver rejoins the Mets, who are in need of pitching help.
June 22, 1987: After 20 years in the game, Seaver announces his retirement. “There were no more pitches in this 42-year-old arm that were competitive. I’ve used them all up,” he says.
Jan. 1992: Seaver is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 98.84 percent of the vote, which is at the time a record for an inductee. He is named on 425 out of 430 ballots.
July 16, 2013: The All-Star Game is played at Citi Field and Seaver throws out the ceremonial first pitch to David Wright.
March 7, 2019: Seaver’s family announces he has been diagnosed with dementia and will not be making any more public appearances.
June 27, 2019: The Mets change the address of Citi Field to 41 Tom Seaver Way, and during the ceremony, COO Jeff Wilpon says the team has commissioned a statue of Seaver to be built outside the main entrance to the ballpark.
Aug. 31 2020: Seaver dies at the age of 75..
