Tom Seaver Career win 204 Ticket Stub 5/6/78 Cincinnati Reds vs Expos HOF Mets

May 6, 1978 ticket stub in good condition from Riverfront Stadium where Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 1st win of the season for career win 204 over the Montreal Expos.Often referred to simply as The Franchise during his time in New York, Tom Seaver was the greatest player in New York Mets history. The righthander helped bring a level of respectability to a franchise that previously experienced little in the way of success, eventually leading his team to two National League pennants and one world championship. Seaver did so with an air of professionalism that made him one of the most admired and respected players of his time.Born in Fresno, California on November 17, 1944, George Thomas Seaver honed his pitching skills first at Fresno High School, and, later, at the University of Southern California. He spent just one season in the minor leagues with the Jacksonville Suns of the International League before joining the New York Mets at the start of the 1967 campaign. Employing near-perfect pitching mechanics during his delivery to home plate, Seaver was already a finished product by the time he arrived in New York. The 22-year-old hurler captured N.L. Rookie of the Year honors by winning 16 games for the last-place Mets, while compiling an ERA of 2.76, striking out 170 batters, and finishing among the league leaders with 18 complete games and 251 innings pitched. Seaver earned the first of seven consecutive selections to the All-Star Team.Seaver made a mockery of the so-called "sophomore jinx" the following year, winning another 16 games for the ninth-place Mets, throwing 14 complete games, and placing near the top of the league rankings with 278 innings pitched, 205 strikeouts, and a 2.20 ERA. It was the first of a record nine straight years in which the righthander surpassed 200 strikeouts.Tom Terrific took his game up a notch in 1969, winning the N.L. Cy Young Award, finishing second in the league MVP voting, and leading the Mets to their first world championship. Seaver led all of baseball with a record of 25-7, and he also placed among the National League leaders with a 2.21 ERA, 208 strikeouts, 18 complete games, and 273 innings pitched. After winning Game One of the NLCS despite allowing five earned runs in seven innings of work, Seaver lost the first game of the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles, permitting the Birds four runs in the five innings he pitched. However, the Mets' ace was far more effective in Game Four, notching a 2-1, complete-game, 10-inning victory to put his team on the brink of winning their first World Series. At season's end, Seaver was presented with both the Hickock Belt as the top professional athlete of the year, and Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award.Seaver pitched extremely well again in 1970, compiling a record of 18-12, throwing 19 complete games and 291 innings, and leading all N.L. hurlers with a 2.82 earned run average and 283 strikeouts. On April 22 of that year, the righthander struck out 19 San Diego Padres, including a record 10 in a row to end the game, to tie Steve Carlton's then-major league record for a nine-inning game.Even though he finished second in the Cy Young voting to Ferguson Jenkins, Seaver had perhaps his greatest season in 1971. In addition to compiling a record of 20-10 and throwing 286 innings, The Franchise hurled a career-high 21 complete games, while also leading the league with a career-best 1.76 ERA and 289 strikeouts. After being overshadowed by Philadelphia's Steve Carlton in 1972 despite winning 21 games himself, Seaver claimed his second Cy Young Award the following season when he led the Mets to within one game of their second world championship. The righthander finished the 1973 campaign with a record of 19-10 and a league-leading 2.08 ERA, 18 complete games, and 251 strikeouts. He then led New York past the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, winning one of his two starts, while compiling a 1.62 ERA against the Big Red Machine. Seaver failed to earn a victory against Oakland ... read more