Author: Stephen Hanks

On This Date: Tom Seaver Strikes Out 10 Straight!

On this day in Mets history, 51 years ago, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver tossed his 19-strikeout gem against the San Diego Padres and set the major league record with 10 straight strikeouts to end the game. It happened on April 22, 1970 and our own Stephen Hanks was there. Here is the article he wrote back in 2010 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of one of the greatest moments in Mets history....

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The Case for Tom Seaver As the Most Terrific Righthanded Pitcher Ever

Until the breaking news alert flashed on my cell phone in the early evening of Wednesday, September 2, 2020, I hadn’t cried over Tom Seaver for 43 years. That time was also on a Wednesday—June 15, 1977 to be exact—when the New York Mets inexplicably and unconscionably traded my ultimate idol and the best pitcher in baseball to the Cincinnati Reds. It was aptly called the “Midnight Massacre,” and...

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Mets Flashback: A Pitch For Seaver

Note: With the tragic news that Mets icon Tom Seaver is suffering from dementia, I wanted to share  an article I wrote for The Village Voice on July 26, 1988, right before the Mets retired his number. I make the case for Seaver being the greatest right-handed pitcher of all time. Enjoy. * * * * * * * * * * I’ve never been rational about Tom Seaver, a hero to me of such mythic proportions that it...

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Unburied Treasure: Rusty Staub, The Mets’ Hittin’ Magician

Editor’s Note: MMO contributor Stephen Hanks was nice enough to allow me to share this truly amazing article from June of 1984, when he was the owner and editor in chief of New York Sports magazine. It was written by Ross Wetzsteon who does a fascinating job of presenting Rusty unplugged. I loved this piece when I first read it, and I know you will too.  –  Joe D.  Rusty Staub: The...

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On This Date: Tom Seaver Fires Record-Breaking 19 Strikeout Gem!

On this day in Mets history, 48 years ago, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver tossed his 19-strikeout gem against the San Diego Padres and set the major league record with 10 straight strikeouts to end the game. It happened on April 22, 1970 and our own Stephen Hanks was there. Here is the article he wrote back in 2010 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of one of the greatest moments in Mets history....

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