Flushing, NY: Among the Spring flowers blooming everywhere around Citi-Field there was a sea of orange, the Mets color as fans were everywhere surrounding the main entrance to the stadium. It’s not typical to see so many Fans at 10:30 AM surrounding a stadium and be so animated, but today was a special day beyond opening day, it was also the day to unveil the Tom Seaver statue that everyone had been waiting for.
For those that are too young to remember, Tom Seaver was more than a Mets star pitcher, Seaver is part of the soul and history of the Mets franchise. Seaver signed with the Mets at the age of 22 on a lottery that was between the Phillies, Cleveland, and the Mets. The baseball Gods gifted the newest baseball franchise, the Mets with that winning lottery and the Mets signed a developing legend that would help the loveable, but helpless team propel itself in two years to the “Miracle Mets” that won a World Series Championship that no one believed was possible. Tom Seaver was that catalyst of that miracle and of many exciting games in the twelve years with the Mets he had a record of 198-124 an ERA of 2.57, with 2,541 strikeouts and is the Mets all time leader in wins, strikeouts, shutouts (44), ERA, complete games (171) and starts (395). He won three Cy Young Awards in 1969, 1973, and 1975, as well as the Rookie of the Year Award in 1967. So, a statue of Tom Seaver at the entrance of the stadium greeting every person coming off the #7 train is more than befitting for a true Mets legend.
Congratulations to all responsible for preserving the history of many of the players that have made the game of baseball the exciting game that it has been for all baseball fans.
BTW: The Mets won 10-3 with Francisco Lindor hitting two home runs and Robinson Cano and Starling Marte hitting one each.
