On June 29, 1969, Tom Seaver defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a 7-3 score at Shea Stadium to become the Mets’ all-time leader in wins by a pitcher with 44. He presently holds the franchise record for wins with 198.
In 1969, Seaver won his first of three Cy Young awards. That year, he went 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.039 WHIP.
In this particular game against the Pirates, Seaver went the distance, striking out 10 and walking four, allowing three runs on six hits. Here is the lineup he faced that day.
- Matty Alou (CF)
- Richie Hebner (3B)
- Roberto Clemente (RF)
- Manny Sanguillen (C)
- Jose Pagan (LF)
- Carl Taylor (1B)
- Bill Mazeroski (2B)
- Freddie Patek (SS)
- Bob Veale (P)
The Mets countered with this lineup:
- Rod Gaspar (RF)
- Bobby Pfeil (2B)
- Tommie Agee (CF)
- Cleon Jones (LF)
- Ed Charles (3B)
- Donn Clendenon (1B)
- Jerry Grote (C)
- Al Weis (SS)
- Tom Seaver (P)
In the bottom of the first inning, Charles and Clendenon singled in runs to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. A home run by Taylor tied the game for the Pirates in the top of the second inning, but Clendenon broke the tie with a two-run double in the bottom of the third.
In the bottom of the fourth, Jones tripled in two runs for the Mets, and Charles drove in another as the Mets raced to a 7-2 lead. Taylor drove in the Bucs’ last run in the eighth, as Seaver sailed to his 44th career win.
Seaver is, of course, the most iconic player to ever wear the orange and blue in Flushing. He ranks number one in franchise history in the categories below (not including active players):
- ERA – 2.57
- Wins – 198
- Innings pitched – 3045.1
- Strikeouts – 2,541
- Games started – 395
- Complete games – 171
- Shutouts – 44
June 29, 1969 was a stepping stone for Seaver, as he would go on to set many franchise records during his 12 seasons in New York. Not to be overlooked is that he also propelled the Mets to their first world championship in 1969.
On Opening Day of the 2022 season, a statue of “The Franchise” will finally be unveiled outside of Citi Field. While long overdue, it will be a welcome sight and source of pride for Mets fans of all ages.
