Tom Brennan - TOM SEAVER'S FIRST METS GAME
The other day, I recounted Met rookie Nolan Ryan's first big league outing at age 19 against the bopping Atlanta Braves, who played the likes of 3 future Hall of Famers - Hank Aaron, Joe Torre, and Eddie Matthews, as well as .330 hitting Felipe Alou, and .330 hitting Rico Carty's.
Ryan tossed an impressive 2 innings in his debut, after fanning an insane 307 in 202 minor league innings in 1966.
Ryan tossed an impressive 2 innings in his debut, after fanning an insane 307 in 202 minor league innings in 1966.
Tom Seaver's 1967 debut was no picnic either.
He got to face the formidable Pittsburgh Pirates line up.
A "whopping" 5,005 turned out on that April 13 afternoon at Shea Stadium in 1967 to see Mr. Seaver face a a very difficult line up which included Matty Alou (.338 that season), Maury Wills (.302), Roberto Clemente (.357), Willie Stargell, Donn Clendenon, Bill Mazeroski, Gene Alley, one-time Mets catcher Jesse Gonder, and Vern Law. Law was 10-3, 2.19 in his career against the Mets, so Seaver had an added obstacle.
It was a tough, tough Bucs line up that hit .277 for the season (non-pitchers hit .287, and the Buccos hit 14 points higher than any other team that year).
Of note (to me, at least) was the fact that the Bucs hit just 91 homers that season, in large part due to large, large dimensions: Wikipedia notes that the final posted dimensions of the ballpark were:left field line 365 feet, left-center field 406 feet, deepest left-center 457 feet, deep right-center 436 feet, right-center field 375 feet, and right field line 300 feet. Freaky deep - and those fences were HIGH!
Not surprising, given those dimensions, that the Bucs led the majors in 3 baggers with 62. They also scored 181 runs more than the Mets' major league lowest 498 season total, and also outhit the Mets by 39 points.
All of the above to reinforce that Seaver's first opponent was no picnic.
Seaver went just 5.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs, but giving up 6 hits, 4 walks, and 2 hit batsmen - but he also fanned 8, a highly notable total for a Mets starter.
Chuck Estrada got the win in relief, his one career win as a Met, and tough righty reliever Ron Taylor closed the game out, the first of his 50 saves as a Met...a game of firsts.
Alou doubled, walked and was HBP in his 3 pesky appearances against Tom Terrific. Clemente drove in the first run with a single to right, and Wills had 3 hits for the game, one of which drove in the last run off Seaver.
Seaver's debut season of 1967 was the Mets' final terrible season and 6th straight last place ranking. But hope was on the horizon, in Seaver and Taylor, along with relative neophytes Ron Swoboda, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, and Cleon Jones in that day's lineup. Interesting to note that Ron Swoboda was that game's Mets first baseman.
Lots were quite impressed with Seaver's debut, as was I - few, I am sure, sensed that Seaver could possibly go on to win over 300 games and be considered one of baseball's all time great righties. After all, he was a Met. To that point, what Met had really succeeded? We were programmed to failure. Seaver turned out to be anything but.
Seaver was a Met who would win Rookie of the year in going 16-13, 2.76 in 251 innings, make the All Star team, and actually end up 22nd in the MVP ballot - all while not facing the most anemic offense in baseball, the Mets!
Quite a memorable debut. To start a truly memorable career.
7 comments:
Seaver was a difficult person to get along with but was worth every penny they paid him.
He had the dirtiest knee portion of his uniform of any pitcher too - because of his low leg drive, knee sometimes dragging on the ground.
I looked up Seaver's career salary: a mere $7.4 million.
First season $10,000.
Didn't earn at least $1 million until 1984!
Being that underpaid could make anyone difficult.
Dr. Ron Taylor with the Save! How appropriate!
Ron Taylor was an overachieving success in his career. he and Tug were the co-closers of 1969's world champs.
$80 GRAND:
Reported by the NY Times on Valentines Day 1970: Tom Seaver's salary for pitching for the New York Mets in 1970 will be $80,000, more than double the amount he received while winning 25 games and leading the Mets to their pennant in 1969.
Since Seaver is 25 years old, with only four professional and three major league seasons behind him, his rise to such levels must rank as one of the fastest in baseball annals, and he is now the highest paid Met player ever.
Interestingly (at least to me), the Consumer price index is 903% higher than 1970, so Seaver's salary in his 4th year, after winning 25 games and the Cy Young, was roughly just $723,000 in 2018 dollars (9.03 X $80,000). Pretty darned underpaid.
Dwight Gooden in 1984 thru 1986 was mesmerizingly brilliant. He made $40,000 in 1984, $450,000 in 1985, and $1,320,000 in 1986. Due to baseball's salary structure, he was drastically underpaid in those 3 years, wouldn't you say? Somebody sure made a lot of money on him, though.
Gooden in 1984-1986 was 58-19, 744 innings, 744 Ks, 2.28 ERA. All for less than $2 million. He wuz robbed.
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