Tom Seaver

Tom Seaver

George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1986. Nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise," he pitched for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox. He is commonly described as the most important player in Mets history and played a significant role in the team's victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series.

With the Mets, Seaver won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1967 and three NL Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. A 12-time All-Star, he ranks as the Mets' all-time leader in wins. Over his career he compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts, and a 2.86 earned run average, and threw a no-hitter in 1978.

Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 in his first year of eligibility, receiving the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time. Along with Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltrán, he is one of three players depicted wearing a New York Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. His No. 41 was retired by the Mets in 1988.