Tom Seaver

[Ohiogal]

Most consecutive strikeouts in a game (10 in a row)

Most Opening Day starts - 16 .... 11 with the Mets, 3 with the Reds, 2 with the White Sox

I wish I could have seen him strike out ten in a row. That’s just beyond amazing.

[Moostache]

1. When I was a kid, playing in Babe Ruth little league...

We had an experiment in "fairness" one season...every team got 10 batters in every inning. And to ensure that players got "equal chances", a pitcher could only throw 3 innings of a 6 inning game.

A player on my team once struck out 30 players in a row. He ended up as a minor league catcher and never made The Show, but at 12 years old, he was bringing it at about 80 mph from a 45' mound. Kids were literally CRYING when they had to get in the batter's box...

But for Seaver to K 10 straight in the bigs? That is more impressive than Woods 20 K games in my eyes...

[Ohiogal]

2. And, even more impressive,

he struck out the last ten batters he faced in the game ... a game in which he struck out 19 total. How many pitchers even finish a game any more.

“I might as well have played without a glove,” said shortstop Harrelson after the game.

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-22-1970-mets-tom-seaver-strikes-out-19-padres-batters

Sadly, he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has withdrawn from public life.

[beachbumbob]

3. as a life long White Sox fan, I got to witness firsthand both of Seaver's

starts for the Sox.

In his prime, Seaver was basically unbeatable

[kairos12]

4. When I was in college I met Bake McBride in the hitting cage at my college during the

off-season. He was Rookie of the Year in 1974. I asked him who was the hardest pitcher to hit off of. He just laughed and said it was Seaver. Everybody else was way behind him.

[Ohiogal]

5. Very cool! I wish I had had the chance to see him pitch.

An aside, who is the only other player wearing a Mets cap besides Seaver in the Hall of Fame?

[jcmaine72]

6. I narrowly missed getting his autograph during his brief stint with the Red Sox in '86.

Tom Terrific was signing autographs on the first base side of the dugout at Fenway pregame with Al Nipper and Dave Sax (Steve Sax's brother). My brother and I got Nipper's and Sax's autograph, but the game was about to start and Tom ducked into the dugout before he got to us. I was literally within arm's length of him. He retired after that season.

Oh well...