WHITE SOX
His family made the announcement Thursday through the Hall of Fame and said Seaver has retired from public life. He will continue to work at Seaver Vineyards, which he and wife Nancy founded in 2002 on 116 acres at Diamond Mountain in the Calistoga region of California.
Seaver has limited his public appearances in recent years. He did not attend the Baseball Writers’ Association of America dinner in January, when members of the 1969 Mets were honored on the 50th anniversary of one of baseball’s most unexpected championships.
A three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year, Seaver was 311-205 with a 2.86 ERA, 3,640 strikeouts and 61 shutouts from 1967 to ’86.
A five-time 20-game winner nicknamed “Tom Terrific,” Seaver was elected to the Hall in 1992, when he appeared on 425 of 430 ballots for a then-record 98.94 percent. His mark was surpassed in 2016 by Ken Griffey Jr. and this year by Mariano Rivera, the first unanimous selection.
“My biggest disappointment? Leaving the Mets the first time and the difficulties I had with the same people that led up to it,” Seaver told the Associated Press ahead of his Hall induction in 1992. “But even that I look back at in a positive way now. It gave me the opportunity to work in different areas of the country.”
He pitched his only no-hitter for the Reds in June 1978 against the Cardinals and was traded back to the Mets after the 1982 season. But general manager Frank Cashen blundered by leaving Seaver off his list of 26 protected players, and in January 1984 the White Sox claimed Seaver as free-agent compensation for losing pitcher Dennis Lamp to the Blue Jays.
While pitching for the White Sox, Seaver got his 300th win at Yankee Stadium, and he did it in style with a six-hitter in a 4-1 victory. He finished his career with the Red Sox in 1986.
He was a 12-time All-Star and led the major leagues with a 25-7 record in 1969 and with a 1.76 ERA in 1971.
The Mets retired his No. 41 in 1988.
“From a team standpoint, winning the ’69 world championship is something I’ll remember most,” Seaver said in 1992. “From an individual standpoint, my 300th win brought me the most joy.”
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