Tributes for ‘greatest Met’ Tom Seaver flood social media from baseball and beyond
Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver was mourned and remembered across the baseball world and beyond after his death was announced Wednesday night.
The right-hander, who helped lead the New York Mets to their first World Series title in 1969, won 311 games over 20 seasons in the majors. His 3,640 career strikeouts are sixth most all-time.
Fellow baseball legends and famous names from beyond the game paid tribute to Seaver, who earned the nickname “Tom Terrific” while helping turnaround the the Mets’ fortunes in the late ‘60s. Mets fans and sportswriters call him the organization’s greatest player. He also played for the Reds, White Sox and Red Sox before retiring after the 1986 season.
Former Texas Ranger pitcher and Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins paid his respects with a message posted on Twitter.
“Very saddened to hear of the passing of fellow Hall of Famer Tom Seaver,” Jenkins said. “Many great memories over the years. My thoughts and prayers are with the Seaver family.”
Former Met Keith Hernandez called Seaver the greatest Met of all time.
“I am deeply saddened of the passing of Tom Seaver. I had the honor of unsuccessfully hitting against him and having as a teammate,” Hernandez said. “He is the greatest Met of all time.”
Palmer, who pitched for the Orioles during the same time period (1965-84 compared to Seaver who played from 1967-86), and a Hall of Famer himself, called Seaver the best pitcher of the era, which of course included Nolan Ryan. Ryan was a rookie for the Mets in 1968, Seaver’s second season in the majors. Both were members of the Mets’ World Series champion team in `69.
“Saddened to hear my friend, Tom Seaver, has passed away. My condolences to Nancy and The Seaver family,” Palmer said. “Baseball lost the best pitcher of my era.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
