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66-653: George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed " Tom Terrific " and " the Franchise ", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago White Sox , and Boston Red Sox from 1967 to 1986 . Commonly described as the most iconic player in Mets history, Seaver played

132-539: A 2.86 earned run average , and he threw a no-hitter in 1978. In 1992 , Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, receiving the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time. Along with Mike Piazza , he is one of two players wearing a New York Mets hat on his plaque in the Hall of Fame. Seaver's No. 41 was retired by the Mets in 1988 , and New York City changed

198-555: A MLB record. At the time of his retirement, he was third on MLB's all-time strikeout list (3,640), trailing only his former teammate Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton ; he currently ranks sixth all time. Seaver is tied with Ryan for the seventh-most shutouts in MLB history (61). His feat of striking out ten consecutive batters has only been matched once, by Aaron Nola in 2021. He also holds the record for consecutive 200-strikeout seasons with nine (1968–1976). Seaver could also help himself at

264-635: A double. He also received a lengthy ovation at the All-Star Game , held in New York's Yankee Stadium . His departure from New York sparked sustained negative fan reaction, as the Mets became the league's worst team, finishing in last place the next three seasons. Combined with the Yankees' resurgence in the market, attendance dipped during the 1978 New York Mets season and plunged during the 1979 New York Mets season to 9,740 per game. M. Donald Grant

330-611: A general overall feeling of chemical imbalance". According to former teammate Bud Harrelson , Seaver was "otherwise doing well". On March 7, 2019, Seaver's family announced that he had dementia and was retiring from public life. Seaver died in his sleep as a result of complications from Lewy body dementia and COVID-19 on August 31, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in California . He was 75. Italics denotes active player Professional baseball Professional baseball

396-766: A heart attack in early 1961, he retired from active duty on April 1. On the day of his retirement, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his career achievements in the Air Force. Eckert's promotions during his military career are as follows: His military decorations, in addition to the Distinguished Service Medal, also include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross , Bronze Star Medal , Air Medal , and various foreign medals. He

462-556: A high-salaried, 39-year-old starting pitcher and left him off the protected list. Seaver pitched two and a half seasons in Chicago and recorded his last shutout on July 19, 1985 , against the visiting Indians . In an anomaly, Seaver won two games on May 9, 1984; he pitched the 25th and final inning of a game suspended the day before, picking up the win in relief against the Milwaukee Brewers , before starting and winning

528-549: A master's degree. After graduating from Harvard, he was assigned to Wright Field , Ohio where he served successively as Production Executive, Comptroller, and as Executive of the Materiel Command . In January 1944, Eckert entered the Army and Navy Staff College . Upon graduation two months later, Colonel Eckert was assigned to Europe as commander of the 452nd Bomb Group (August 1944 – September 1944) He later served in

594-464: A recommendation for him. On November 17, 1965, by a unanimous vote of the then-20 major league club owners, William Eckert became the fourth Commissioner of Major League Baseball. When he became commissioner, Eckert had not seen a baseball game in person in over ten years. He was almost completely unknown to the public, leading sportswriters to nickname him "the Unknown Soldier." He incurred

660-830: A second lieutenant of Field Artillery in the Regular Army. He then attended the Air Corps Flying Schools at Brooks and Kelly Fields in San Antonio, Texas , graduating in October 1931 and was transferred to the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas. Two months later he transferred to the United States Army Air Corps and was assigned to Selfridge Field , Michigan, for duty with

726-598: A significant role in their victory in the 1969 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles . With the Mets, Seaver won the National League 's (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and won three NL Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. He was a 12-time All-Star and ranks as the Mets' all-time leader in wins . During his MLB career, he compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts , 61 shutouts ,

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792-797: A three-year contract extension by mid-June. Before the contract could be signed, Young wrote an unattributed story in the Daily News saying that Seaver was being goaded by his wife to ask for more money because she was envious of Nolan Ryan earning more money with the California Angels . Upon learning of the story, Seaver informed de Roulet and McDonald that he immediately wanted to be traded, believing that he could not co-exist with Grant. In one of two trades that New York's sports reporters dubbed "the Midnight Massacre" (the other involved struggling outfielder Dave Kingman ), Seaver

858-705: Is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since

924-623: Is one of two players enshrined in the Hall of Fame with a Mets cap on his plaque, along with Mike Piazza . He was also inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame , the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame . In 1999, Seaver ranked 32nd on Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the only player to have spent a majority of his career with

990-545: Is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in

1056-501: Is over, I guarantee you everyone in this stadium will, too." Seaver started for the Mets on Opening Day in 1968 . He won 16 games again during that season, and recorded over 200 strikeouts for the first of nine consecutive seasons, but the Mets moved up only one spot in the standings, to ninth. In 1969 , Seaver won a league-high 25 games, including nine consecutive complete-game victories. He won his first National League Cy Young Award. He also finished runner-up to Willie McCovey for

1122-706: The 1965 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers . When Seaver asked for $ 70,000, however, the Dodgers passed, only offering Seaver $ 2,000. In 1966, Seaver signed a professional contract with the Atlanta Braves , who had selected him in the first round of the secondary January draft, 20th overall. However, the contract was voided by Baseball Commissioner William Eckert because USC had played two exhibition games that year , although Seaver had not participated. He then intended to finish

1188-520: The 1984 season. Overall, in 12 seasons with the Mets, Seaver was 198–124 with a 2.57 earned run average in 3,045 innings with 171 complete games, winning three Cy Young awards, the 1969 World Series and the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year Award. On January 20, 1984, the Chicago White Sox claimed Seaver from the Mets in a free-agent compensation draft. The Mets, especially general manager Frank Cashen , incorrectly assumed that no one would pursue

1254-675: The 36th Pursuit Squadron . In April 1935, Eckert joined the 29th Pursuit Squadron at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone , where he was stationed from 1935 to 1937. In May 1937, he was named a flying instructor at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Randolph Field , Texas. In September 1938, he was selected as one of two officers for advanced education at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and in June 1940 graduated with

1320-463: The American or National Leagues ), or elsewhere. They finally decided that the new commissioner should have a strong business background to deal with the problems that were confronting the game at the time. Eckert had not appeared on any lists of prospective candidates at first. He only became a serious candidate for the commissionership after fellow officer Curtis LeMay gave Major League Baseball

1386-686: The Boston Red Sox for Steve Lyons in mid-season. Seaver's 311th and final win came on August 18, 1986, against the Minnesota Twins . A knee injury prevented Seaver from appearing against the Mets in the World Series with the Red Sox, but he received among the loudest ovations during player introductions prior to Game 1. Roger Clemens attributes the time he shared with Seaver as teammates in 1986 as instrumental in helping him make

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1452-504: The China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with

1518-700: The 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues,

1584-717: The Air Force and two months later became executive to the Undersecretary of the Air Force . In April 1949, Eckert became comptroller of Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio. In October 1951, while comptroller of the Air Materiel Command, Ekhert assumed additional duty as deputy commander of the Air Materiel Command. Eckert was transferred to Air Force headquarters in June 1952 for duty as assistant deputy chief of staff for materiel. On July 15, 1956, he reported to Tactical Air Command , Langley Air Force Base , Virginia to assume

1650-778: The European theater as chief of maintenance and chief of supply of the Ninth Air Force Service Command . In July 1945, Eckert was assigned as executive in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Materiel at Air Force headquarters, and later was appointed chief of the Readjustment and Procurement Division of that office. In November 1947, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of

1716-494: The League's Most Valuable Player Award. In front of a crowd of over 59,000 at New York's Shea Stadium on July 9, Seaver threw 8 + 1 ⁄ 3 perfect innings against the division-leading Chicago Cubs . Rookie backup outfielder Jim Qualls broke up Seaver's bid for a perfect game when he lined a clean single to left field. In the inaugural National League Championship Series , Seaver outlasted Atlanta 's Phil Niekro in

1782-415: The Mets to make the list. In 2016, ESPN.com ranked Seaver 34th on its list of the greatest MLB players, while The Athletic ranked him the 41st-greatest player in 2020. On September 28, 2006, Seaver was chosen as the "Hometown Hero" for the Mets franchise by ESPN . Seaver made a return to Shea Stadium during the "Shea Goodbye" closing ceremony on September 28, 2008, where he threw out the final pitch in

1848-508: The Mets). Between 1970 and 1976, Seaver led the National League in strikeouts five times, while also finishing second in 1972 and third in 1974. Seaver also won three earned run average titles as a Met. Two famous quotes about Seaver are attributed to Reggie Jackson : "Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch." The second was in the 1973 World series, with the Mets up 3 games to 2, and poised to win their second championship. Seaver started

1914-571: The Mets, the New York Yankees , and with Vin Scully in 1989 for NBC. Seaver replaced Joe Garagiola as NBC's lead baseball color commentator, which led to him calling the 1989 All-Star Game and National League Championship Series . He worked as an analyst for Yankees' telecasts on WPIX from 1989 to 1993 and for Mets' telecasts on WPIX from 1999 to 2005 , making him one of three sportscasters to be regular announcers for both teams;

1980-550: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ")

2046-726: The National League in both earned run average (2.82) and strikeouts (283). In 1971 , Seaver led the league in earned run average (1.76) and strikeouts (289 in 286 innings) while going 20–10. However, he finished second in the Cy Young balloting to Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs , due to Jenkins' league-leading 24 wins, 325 innings pitched, and exceptional control numbers. Seaver had four more 20-win seasons (20 in 1971, 21 in 1972 , 22 in 1975 , and 21 in 1977 ). He won two more Cy Young Awards (1973 and 1975, both with

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2112-632: The Reds in 1978 against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 16 at Riverfront Stadium . It was the only no-hitter of his professional career. He led the Cincinnati pitching staff in 1979 , when the Reds won the Western Division, and again in the strike-shortened 1981 season, when the Reds had the best record in the major leagues. In the latter season, Seaver, with his sterling 14–2 performance,

2178-597: The Year " award. On April 22, 1970 , Seaver set a major league record by striking out the final ten batters of the game in a 2–1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium . Al Ferrara , who had homered in the second inning for the Padres' run, accounted for both the first and the final strikeout of the streak. In addition to his ten consecutive strikeouts, Seaver tied Steve Carlton 's major league record at

2244-472: The address of Citi Field to 41 Seaver Way in 2019 . Seaver is also a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame . Seaver was born in Fresno, California , to Betty Lee (née Cline) and Charles Henry Seaver. He attended Fresno High School and was a pitcher for the school's baseball team. Seaver compensated for his lack of size and strength by developing great control on

2310-556: The annual Hall of Fame induction, Seaver was part of a "club" which included Bob Gibson , Sandy Koufax , and Steve Carlton which annually brought a bottle of wine to share that dinner held at The Otesaga Hotel . Seaver was an opponent of the Vietnam War , and spoke out against it leading up to the 1969 World Series . In 2013, it was reported that Seaver suffered from memory loss, not even remembering long-term acquaintances and experiencing symptoms of "sleep disorder, nausea, and

2376-416: The board M. Donald Grant , who by that time had been given carte blanche by Mets management to do what he wished, refused to budge. Longtime New York Daily News columnist Dick Young regularly wrote negative columns about Seaver's "greedy" demands. Seaver attempted to resolve the impasse by going to team owner Lorinda de Roulet , who along with general manager Joe McDonald , had negotiated in principle

2442-594: The college season, but because he had signed a pro contract, the NCAA ruled him ineligible. After Seaver's father complained to Eckert about the unfairness of the situation, and threatened a lawsuit, Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves' offer. The Mets were subsequently awarded his signing rights in a lottery drawing among the three teams (the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians being

2508-652: The day's regularly scheduled game, also facing the Brewers. On August 4, 1985, Seaver recorded his 300th victory at Yankee Stadium over the Yankees , throwing a complete game 4–1 victory, with Mets announcer Lindsey Nelson in the booth. Seaver started on Opening Day for the 16th and final time of his career in 1986 . In three seasons with the White Sox, Seaver was 33–28 with a 3.67 earned run average and 17 complete games in 81 appearances. The White Sox traded Seaver to

2574-491: The duties of deputy commander (redesignated vice commander November 5, 1956). In 1957, at the age of 48, Eckert was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general , making him the youngest three-star officer in the United States Armed Forces . On February 1, 1960, Eckert was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force for duty as Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller of the Air Force. However, after suffering

2640-503: The end of the season, although he still had three years on his contract. Eckert resigned as commissioner in December 1968. Bowie Kuhn was appointed the interim commissioner. In spite of his much publicized failures and shortcomings, Eckert also developed more effective committee actions, streamlined business methods and helped stabilize franchises with bigger stadiums and long-term leases. In addition, Eckert worked hard toward promoting

2706-548: The first game for a 9–5 victory. Seaver was also the starter for Game One of the World Series , but lost a 4–1 decision to the Baltimore Orioles ' Mike Cuellar . Seaver then pitched a 10-inning complete game for a 2–1 win in Game Four. The " Miracle Mets " won the series. At year's end, Seaver was presented with the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's " Sportsman of

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2772-516: The game, but did not have his "arm" that day, and lost the game. Jackson is reported to have said "Seaver pitched with his heart that day." Seaver was known for his "drop and drive" overhand delivery, powered by his legs and trunk with his knee sinking to the ground. By 1977 , free agency had begun and contract negotiations between Mets' ownership and Seaver were not going well. Seaver wanted to renegotiate his contract to bring his salary in line with what other top pitchers were earning, but chairman of

2838-472: The history of the stadium to Piazza. Along with Piazza he opened the Mets' new home, Citi Field with the ceremonial first pitch on April 13, 2009. The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was dedicated to Seaver. He concluded the introduction of the starting lineup ceremonies by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Mets player David Wright participated. In 2019, the New York City renamed

2904-525: The last-place Mets, with 18 complete games, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.76 earned run average . Seaver was named the 1967 National League Rookie of the Year . Seaver recalled later on that he approached Henry Aaron just before the All-Star Game, for his autograph. Seaver felt the need to introduce himself to Aaron, as he was certain that the veteran player would not know who he was. Aaron replied to Seaver, "Kid, I know who you are, and before your career

2970-673: The major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at a black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. William Eckert William Eckert

3036-527: The mound. Despite being an All-City basketball player, he hoped to play baseball in college. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on June 28, 1962. He served with AIRFMFPAC 29 Palms, California , through July 1963. After six months of active duty in the reserve, Seaver enrolled at Fresno City College . He remained a part-time member of the reserve until his eight-year commitment ended in 1970. The University of Southern California (USC) recruited Seaver to play college baseball . Unsure as to whether Seaver

3102-510: The other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly

3168-716: The others are Fran Healy and Tim McCarver . Seaver married Nancy Lynn McIntyre on June 9, 1966, in Jacksonville, Florida during Seaver's Triple-A stint. They were the parents of two daughters, Sarah and Annie. They lived in Calistoga, California , where Seaver started his own 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) vineyard, Seaver Family Vineyards, on his 116-acre (47 ha) estate, in 2002. His first vintage was produced in 2005. He presented his two cabernets, "Nancy's Fancy" and "GTS," at an April 2010 wine-tasting event in SoHo , to positive reviews. At

3234-444: The plate. A decent hitter and proficient bunter, Seaver hit 12 home runs during his career, along with a relatively solid lifetime batting average, for a pitcher, of .154. The Mets retired Seaver's uniform number 41 in 1988 in a Tom Seaver Day ceremony, making him the franchise's first player to be so honored. Seaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 7, 1992 , with the then-highest percentage of votes with 98.84%. He

3300-405: The public's ire by refusing to cancel games after the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. , and team owners' disdain because he refused to deal forcefully with substantive business issues. By 1968, the owners anticipated a players' strike , and had long since lost confidence in Eckert's ability to handle the situation. For this reason, Eckert was forced to resign at

3366-502: The street outside Citi Field from 126th Street to Seaver Way and changed the ballpark's address to 41 Seaver Way, a salute of the number he wore throughout his career. In 2017, Seaver was awarded the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award as the Hall of Fame recipient. On April 15, 2022, at their home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks , the Mets unveiled a 10-foot statue of Seaver in front of Citi Field. Seaver's television broadcasting experience dated back to his playing career, when he

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3432-418: The time, with 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. (The record was later eclipsed by 20-strikeout games by Kerry Wood , Randy Johnson , Max Scherzer , and twice by Roger Clemens .) By mid-August, Seaver's record stood at 17–6 and he seemed well on his way to a second consecutive 20-victory season. But he only won one of his last ten starts, including four on short rest, to finish 18–12. Nonetheless, Seaver led

3498-427: The transition from thrower to pitcher. The Red Sox did not offer Seaver a contract to his liking for the 1987 season. His 1986 salary was $ 1 million; the Red Sox offered $ 500,000, which Seaver declined. When no new contract agreement was reached, Seaver was granted free agency on November 12, 1986. Seaver was 5–7 with a 3.80 earned run average in 16 starts with Boston in 1986. In 1987, the Mets starting rotation

3564-405: The two others) that were willing to match the Braves' terms. In 1966, Seaver was 12–12 with a 3.13 earned run average pitching in Class AAA with the Jacksonville Suns , the Mets' affiliate in the International League . Seaver made the Mets' roster in 1967 , was named to the 1967 All-Star Game , and got the save by pitching a scoreless 15th inning. In his rookie season, Seaver was 16–13 for

3630-488: Was 75–46 with a 3.18 earned run average and 42 complete games in 158 starts. On December 16, 1982, Seaver was traded back to the Mets, for Charlie Puleo , Lloyd McClendon , and Jason Felice. On April 5, 1983 , he tied Walter Johnson 's major league record of 14 Opening Day starts, shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies for six innings in a 2–0 Mets win. However, he posted a subpar 9–14 record that season. The Mets exercised an option on Seaver's contract worth $ 750,000 for

3696-407: Was a close runner-up to Fernando Valenzuela for the 1981 Cy Young Award. (Seaver had finished third and fourth in two other previous years.) In 1981, during one of his two losses, Seaver recorded his 3,000th strikeout against Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals . Then in 1982 he suffered through an injury-ridden campaign, finishing the season 5–13. In six seasons with the Reds, Seaver

3762-401: Was a management consultant and served on the board of directors of several companies. He was the Commissioner of Baseball from 1965 to 1968. Eckert died in 1971 of a heart attack, while playing tennis in the Bahamas . Eckert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with his wife, Catharine Givens Eckert (1919–1995). In 1930, upon graduation from West Point, Eckert was appointed

3828-449: Was born on January 20, 1909, in Freeport, Illinois , to Frank Lloyd and Harriet Julia (née Rudy) Eckert. His mother had previously been married to George H. McClure, so Eckert had three half-siblings, including Robert A. McClure . The Eckert family moved to Indiana, settling in Madison . In 1924, at age 15, Eckert enlisted in the Indiana National Guard. Eckert matriculated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in July 1926. It

3894-542: Was decimated by injury and they sought help from Seaver. Though no contract was signed, Seaver joined the club on June 6, and was hit hard in an exhibition game against the Triple-A Tidewater Tides on June 11. After similarly poor outings on June 16 and 20, he announced his retirement, saying that, "there were no more pitches in this 42-year-old arm that were competitive. I've used them all up." Only Seaver and Walter Johnson have 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and an earned run average under 3.00. Seaver's 16 Opening-Day starts are

3960-420: Was fired after the 1978 season, and Joe McDonald was fired after the 1979 season following a sale of the team to publishing magnate Nelson Doubleday, Jr. In a sardonic nod to the general manager, Shea Stadium acquired the nickname " Grant's Tomb ". After having thrown five one-hitters for the Mets, including two games in which no-hit bids were broken up in the ninth inning, Seaver recorded a 4–0 no-hitter for

4026-408: Was invited to serve as a World Series analyst for ABC in 1977 and for NBC in 1978 , 1980 , and 1982 . Also while an active player, Seaver called the 1981 National League Division Series between Montreal and Philadelphia and that year's National League Championship Series alongside Dick Enberg for NBC. After retiring as a player, Seaver worked as a television color commentator for

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4092-429: Was named on 425 out of 430 ballots. Three of the five ballots that had omitted Seaver were blank, cast by writers protesting the Hall's decision to make Pete Rose ineligible for consideration. One ballot was sent by a writer who was recovering from open-heart surgery and failed to notice Seaver's name. The fifth "no" vote was cast by a writer who said he never voted for any player in their first year of eligibility. Seaver

4158-403: Was rated a bomber, command pilot, and technical observer. Eckert served as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968. More than 150 names appeared on the original list of nominees for the commissionership following Ford Frick 's retirement. The club owners initially were unable to decide if the next commissioner should come from the ranks of the game (e.g., the president of

4224-404: Was there that he earned the nickname "Spike" while playing intramural football. He also played intramural baseball while at West Point. He graduated in June 1930. Eckert served in the U.S. military from 1930 to 1961. In 1940, he married Catherine Douglas Givens. They had two children – William Douglas Eckert and Catherine Julia Eckert. Upon retirement from the U.S. Air Force in 1961, Eckert

4290-422: Was traded to the Cincinnati Reds at the trading deadline, June 15, 1977, for pitcher Pat Zachry , minor league outfielder Steve Henderson , infielder Doug Flynn , and minor league outfielder Dan Norman . Seaver went 14–3 with the Reds and won 21 games in 1977 , including an emotional 5–1 victory over the Mets in his return to Shea Stadium . Seaver struck out 11 batters during the return game and also hit

4356-404: Was worthy of a scholarship, USC sent him to pitch in Alaska for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in the summer of 1964. After a stellar season, in which he pitched and won a game in the national tournament with a grand slam , USC head coach Rod Dedeaux awarded him a scholarship. As a sophomore in 1965, Seaver posted a 10–2 record for the Trojans, and he was selected in the tenth round of

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