Up
on the blog today, we add the top pitcher of the Majors in 1969 to my
1970 "20-Win Circle" sub-set, where we celebrate the 20-game winners of
1969, Cy Young winner Tom Seaver of the New York Mets:
What needs to be said about the greatest New York Met to ever suit up?
When
this "card" would have hit the shelves in 1970, Seaver was coming off
his first of three Cy Young Awards, leading the Mets to their improbable
World Championship against the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles.
In
that Cy Young campaign all he did was go 25-7, with a 2.21 ERA, five
shutouts and 208 strikeouts over 273.1 innings of work, completing 18 of
35 starts at the age of 24.
The man would end up with a 311-205 record along with 61 shutouts and 3640 strikeouts
to go with a brilliant 2.86 ERA over 20-seasons and 656 appearances,
647 of which were starts.
He was in prime form in the mid-70’s, putting together nine straight 200
strikeouts seasons while getting tabbed to ten all-star teams in his
first eleven seasons.
God
I loved Tom Seaver when I was a kid. More than any other pitcher of
that era I was in awe of this man. He just seemed like a "super-hero" to
me.
Just
look at all my other posts dedicated to the man here on this blog. He
was other-worldly to me growing up in New York City as a kid in the
1970s.
Even if he WAS a Met, to this young Yankee fan he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the game at that time.
Rest in Peace "Tom Terrific"!
