Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver died Wednesday at age 75:

Tom Seaver, whose long, back-bending, knee-scraping strides toward the plate and aura of confidence and determination made him one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball, the greatest Met of all time and earned him the names “Tom Terrific” and “The Franchise,” died Monday. He was 75.

Seaver pitched in the Major Leagues for 20 seasons, winning 311 games and recording a 2.86 ERA. A 12-time All-Star (10 times from 1967-77), he struck out 3,640 batters, which currently ranks sixth all-time but was third, behind only Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton, at the time of his retirement in 1986. Seaver led the National League in strikeouts five times from 1970-76, and he and Christy Mathewson are the only pitchers to record 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and an ERA below 3.00. Seaver’s 16 Opening Day starts is a Major League record.

MLB.com

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

I started watching baseball in 1969, and living in southern Connecticut, we received the New York City television stations. It was a great year to watch the Mets, with a terrific staff led to Tom Terrific. He went 25-7 that season with a 2.76 ERA, the first season with a lower mound. He added a Cy Young to his 1967 Rookie of the Year, and just missed an MVP. From 1967 to 1981, he posted a 2.60 ERA in 3789 innings, that ERA the best in the majors.

It was a sad end to Seaver’s life:

Seaver was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 1991. It recurred in 2012 and led to Bell’s Palsy and memory loss. He was diagnosed with dementia in March 2019, at which time he retired from public life, three months shy of the Mets’ 50th anniversary celebration of their 1969 championship.

I’m glad I got to see him pitch most of his career.