Seaver, who threw no-hitter with Reds, dies

Tom Seaver, a Hall of Fame right-hander considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, passed away in his sleep at the age of 75 at his home in Calistoga, Calif.

“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved husband and father has passed away,” said his wife Nancy Seaver and daughters Sarah and Anne in a statement. “We send our love out to his fans, as we mourn his loss with you.”

Seaver pitched for the Mets, Reds, White Sox and Red Sox during his illustrious career.

"Tom Seaver was one of the best and most inspirational pitchers to play the game," said Reds chief executive officer Bob Castellini in a statement. "We are grateful that Tom’s Hall of Fame career included time with the Reds. We are proud to count his name among the greats in the Reds Hall of Fame. He will be missed."

Seaver made his Major League debut for the Mets in 1967, and pitched for New York until he was traded to the Reds during the '77 season. By this point, "Tom Terrific" had established himself as a superstar, with the accolades to prove it -- he was the 1967 National League Rookie of the Year, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and a 10-time All-Star. He owned three ERA titles and led the league in strikeouts five times.

When he arrived in Cincinnati, Seaver picked up right where he left off. In his Reds debut on July 18, 1977, he threw a three-hit shutout of the Expos in Montreal, walking none and striking out eight. The next season, in his first full campaign with the Reds, Seaver posted a 2.88 ERA in 36 starts (259 2/3 innings) with 226 strikeouts.

One of those 36 starts came on June 16, 1978, against the Cardinals at Riverfront Stadium. Seaver, who had already thrown five one-hitters in his illustrious career, on this day threw a no-hitter in a 4-0 Cincinnati victory.

Seaver's manager those first two seasons in Cincinnati was Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson, who knew that when he put the ball in Seaver's hands, not only did the Reds have a great chance to win, but that his job was made much easier because of Seaver's greatness.

“My idea of managing is giving the ball to Tom Seaver and then sitting down and watching him work," Anderson once said.

In 1979, Seaver helped Cincinnati reach the postseason following a four-year hiatus, tossing eight strong innings in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Pirates, giving up two runs on five hits in a 5-2, 11-inning Reds loss. Pittsburgh went on to sweep Cincinnati in three games and then defeated the Orioles in the World Series.

Though the 1979 NLCS would be the last time Seaver would pitch in the postseason, his October exploits were already well known. As a 24-year-old in 1969, Seaver helped lead the "Miracle Mets" to a World Series title with a legendary Game 4 performance against the Orioles at Shea Stadium -- he went 10 innings, yielding just one run on six hits while walking two and striking out six.

Seaver pitched three more seasons for the Reds following the '79 NLCS loss. At age 36 in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign, Seaver won an MLB-best 14 games and turned in a 2.54 ERA, finishing second in NL Cy Young Award voting and earning his 12th and final All-Star selection.

The Reds traded Seaver back to the Mets prior to the 1983 season. In 5 1/2 seasons with Cincinnati, Seaver was 75-46 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.18 WHIP from his age-32 to age-37 seasons. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, who caught Seaver throughout the right-hander's time with the Reds, posted a message on Twitter in honor of his friend and former teammate.

"For those that knew him, no words are necessary," Bench wrote. "For those that didn't, no words are adequate! My friend!"

Tom Hume was a rookie right-hander with the Reds when Seaver joined the club. Seaver became a mentor and close friend of Hume's, as he did with so many others in and around the game.

"One of my best friends ever has left us," Hume wrote on Twitter. "#TomSeaver Not only my friend, mentor, idol growing up. Taught me all that I know about pitching, how to be a major leaguer."

Seaver joined the White Sox in 1984 as a free-agent compensation move by Chicago. He won his 300th game as a member of the White Sox, against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 4, 1985. He pitched in 16 games for the Red Sox in 1986 before retiring. Seaver finished his career with 311 wins, a 2.86 ERA and 3,640 strikeouts, 731 of which came in a Reds uniform.

After his playing days, Seaver became a broadcaster for the Yankees and Mets, as well as NBC for its "Game of the Week" alongside Vin Scully in the late 1980s.

Seaver was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 with 98.8 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote, which was the highest percentage ever garnered on the Hall of Fame ballot at the time. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2006.

With all of his achievements on a pitcher's mound over a 20-year Major League career, what many people who knew Seaver will tell you first and foremost is that he was a gentleman who represented the game of baseball with dignity and class.

"I think the first thing that jumps out at you is what a professional he was," Reds broadcast legend Marty Brennaman said. "In every sense of the word."