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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 21 · JULY 20, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #021 · EXPANSION
Tom Seaver — The Franchise
And The 1969 Miracle Mets
On July 9, 1969, Tom Seaver was one out away from a perfect game when Jimmy Qualls singled —
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL ending the bid.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE MADE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE IN 1969 AND BARELY BROKE A SWEAT DOING IT.
311 Wins. 2.86 ERA. The Miracle Mets. 98.8% HOF
Vote — Highest In History.
TOM SEAVER CAREER ERA CAREER WAR CAREER STRIKEOUTS
1969 W-L HOF VOTE % CAREER ERA+
Seaver won 311 games with a 2.86 ERA and 3 Cy Young awards. His 1969 Mets were 100-to-1 preseason
longshots. He went 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA and led the Miracle Mets to the championship. He received
98.8% of HOF votes in 1992 — the highest percentage in history at the time.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Chicago Cubs JULY 9, 1969
11 1 0 W 4-0
IP K HITS ER RESULT
The Imperfect Game
ONE OUT FROM PERFECT — JIMMY QUALLS SINGLE IN THE 9TH
Seaver had a perfect game with 2 outs in the 9th inning against Chicago on July 9, 1969. Jimmy Qualls — a
rookie making just his 18th major league start — singled to left-center field. One hit. Seaver finished with a
one-hitter, 11 strikeouts, and a 4-0 win. The near-perfect game became a symbol of the entire Miracle Mets
season: they got to within one out of impossible things, and then made them real.
ERA VS ERA 03
Greatest Mets Pitcher Ever — Seaver or deGrom?
TOM SEAVER 1967-83 JACOB DEGROM 2014-21
CAREER ERA AS MET CAREER ERA AS MET
WINS AS MET VS WINS AS MET
WS RING CY YOUNGS
1969 2 consecutive
deGrom's ERA as a Met (2.52) is slightly lower than Seaver's (2.57). But Seaver pitched 12 seasons in New
York. deGrom pitched 8. Seaver won a World Series. deGrom never reached the postseason as a Met. Seaver's
career contribution is larger by any durable measurement.
Greatest Mets pitcher ever?
TOM SEAVER JACOB DEGROM DWIGHT GOODEN JOHAN SANTANA
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
OCTOBER 16, 1969 · WORLD SERIES VS BALTIMORE
The 1969 Mets Were 100-To-1 Longshots. They Won
The World Series In Five Games.
The 1969 Mets swept the Baltimore Orioles in five games — a team that had won 109 regular
season games. Seaver pitched Games 1 and 4. The Mets won both. Baltimore had been a 3-to-1
World Series favorite. New York made it look like it was always going to happen this way.
Seaver's 25-7 season was the structural reason it could.
Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice versa.
— CASEY STENGEL, ON THE 1969 METS
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER WINS CAREER STRIKEOUTS
Won 20+ games five times. 2.86 career Struck out 200+ batters in 10 consecutive
ERA across 20 seasons. seasons — a record at the time.
HOF VOTE PERCENTAGE
CAREER WAR
98.8% Highest in history when he was inducted 109.9
Top 5 among all pitchers in baseball
in 1992. Only Tom Seaver could make
history.
every ballot.
1969 THE MIRACLE METS
100-to-1 preseason odds. They won 100 regular season games and the World Series.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Jerry Koosman
NEW YORK METS · 1967-1985
222 CAREER WINS · 3.36 ERA · THE PITCHER WHO ENDED THE 1969 SEASON
Won Games 2 and 5 Of The 1969 World Series. Closed It Out. Forgotten.
Jerry Koosman won Games 2 and 5 of the 1969 World Series — including the clinching game. He threw the
final pitch of the Miracle season. He won 222 games for his career and made 2 All-Star teams. He is
mentioned approximately never in any discussion of 1969 because Seaver consumed the narrative.
THE CONNECTION:
Koosman threw the last out of the 1969 World Series. Seaver gets the legacy. Koosman gets the
footnote. Same mound, same championship.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Reggie Jackson hit 3 HR on 3 consecutive pitches from 3 different pitchers in the 1977 World
Series.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.