Baseball Legends Gone Too Soon – Tom Seaver & Lou Brock
Published by Jana
September 18, 2020
Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver, died on August 31, 2020 from complications of Lewy body dementia and Covid-19. Seaver, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was obtained by the Mets in a special draft lottery in 1966 and earned the 1967 National League Rookie of the Year Award. “Tom Terrific” went on to help change the team from lovable losers into the “Miracle Mets,” bringing 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. He 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. https://baseballhall.org/discover/hall-of-fame-pitcher-tom-seaver-passes-away
Lou Brock, stolen base extraordinaire, passed away on September 6, 2020. at the age of 81. Brock, a member of the baseball Hall of Fame, was more than a stolen base specialist. By the end of his 19 year career, he was one of baseball’s most complete players. When he retired, he held the single season and all time stolen base records. He was also just one of 14 players with at least 3000 hits. He led the Cardinals to back-to-back National League pennants in 1967 and 1968 and the World Series title in 1967, hitting an incredible .439 in the two Fall Classics, which included a record 13 hits in the 1968 World Series and 12 the year before.
He finished his career in 1979 with an All-Star Game appearance that year (his sixth) while hitting .304. He totaled 3,023 hits, 1,610 runs, 900 RBI and 938 steals – a stolen base mark that stood until Rickey Henderson surpassed it in 1991.
“Baseball and I have a mutual respect for each other,” Brock said. “I have given a lot. It has given me a lot.” (https://baseballhall.org/discover/brock-remembered-for-turning-speed-into-art)
