Mets Baseball Legend Tom Seaver Dies At Home In North Bay

CALISTOGA, CA — Baseball legend Tom Seaver, a longtime pitcher for the New York Mets Major League Baseball team, has died at the age of 75, the Mets confirmed with a statement Wednesday.

Seaver died peacefully in his sleep early Monday morning at his home in the city of Calistoga in Napa Valley Wine Country.

Seaver died from complications of COVID-19— the disease caused by the coronavirus—and Lewy body dementia, which he was diagnosed with in March 2019, according to a statement on the National Baseball Hall of Fame's website.

Here is the official statement from the Mets on Seaver's passing:

"Statement from Fred and Jeff Wilpon. We are devastated to learn of the passing of Mets legend and baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Tom was nicknamed ‘The Franchise’ and ‘Tom Terrific’ because of how valuable he truly was to our organization and our loyal fans, and his #41 was the first player number retired by the organization in 1988. He was simply the greatest Mets player of all time, and among the best to ever play the game, which culminated with his near unanimous induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

"Beyond the multitude of awards, records, accolades, World Series Championship, all-star appearances, and just overall brilliance, we will always remember Tom for his passion and devotion to his family, the game of baseball, and his vineyard.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Nancy, daughters Sarah and Anne, and four grandsons, Thomas, William, Henry and Tobin."

"We are heartbroken to share that our beloved husband and father has passed away," said his wife, Nancy Seaver, and daughters Sarah and Anne. "We send our love out to his fans, as we mourn his loss with you."

About Tom Seaver, from the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

Before he leapt onto the mound and into the hearts of Mets fans, Seaver served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also pitched for the summer league Alaska Goldpanners and attended the University of Southern California.

He was obtained by the Mets in a special draft lottery in 1966, and earned the 1967 National League "Rookie of the Year" award.

"All of a sudden, these guys that you can’t believe you’re playing with are all patting you on the back," Seaver is quoted as saying about the 1967 All-Star game. "That was the turning point for me as a professional that, yes, it can happen and you can do this as well as anybody. I may have been paid before, but that’s when I really became a professional."

"Tom Terrific" is credited with helping transform the team of "lovable losers" into the "Miracle Mets," when he brought the team its first World Championship in 1969— in only its eighth year of play — while earning his first of three National League Cy Young awards.

Seaver won National League ERA titles in three of the next four seasons, capturing his second Cy Young Award in 1973 while leading the Mets to the N.L. pennant.

In 1970, Seaver tied a major league record, striking out 19 San Diego Padres in a game that included a record 10 consecutive strikeouts to end the game.

In 1975, Seaver won his third NL Cy Young Award.

"It is an honor to play this game, to be blessed with talent," Seaver once said. "It was an art form, a physical and mental art form."

In addition to his 12 seasons with the Mets, Seaver spent parts of six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, three with the Chicago White Sox and one with the Boston Red Sox.

"Tom's fierceness as a competitor was matched by his daily preparation and workout regimen,” said Tim Mead, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "Intelligent, passionate, disciplined, respectful and driven, he was as fine a pitcher as the game has seen."

After pitching five one-hitters, Seaver no-hit the Cardinals in 1978, and in 1981 became the fifth player in history to record 3,000 strikeouts. He returned to the Mets for the 1983 season, then won a total of 31 games for the White Sox in 1984 and 1985 before officially retiring during the 1987 season.

Seaver won 311 games, had a 2.86 earned-run average and struck out 3,640 batters over a 20-year major league career that spanned from 1967-1986, earning 12 All-Star selections. He led the National League in wins three times, ERA three times and strikeouts five times. Seaver was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992 when he was named on 98.8 percent of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the highest voting percentage ever received at the time.

"Tom Seaver's life exemplified greatness in the game, as well as integrity, character, and sportsmanship – the ideals of a Hall of Fame career," said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "As a longtime member of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors, Tom brought dignity and wisdom to this institution that will be deeply missed. His love for baseball history, and for the Hall of Fame, was reinforced in 2014, when he pledged the donation of his personal baseball collection to the Museum. His wonderful legacy will be preserved forever in Cooperstown."

Read more about Tom Seaver.