Tom Seaver Diagnosed with Dementia: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Former New York Mets and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, 74, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to a report from Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

“Tom will continue to work in his beloved vineyard at his California home,” Shaikin tweets, “but has chosen to completely retire from public life.”

The Seaver family released a full statement through the Baseball Hall of Fame, showing appreciation for those who have supported the pitcher throughout his career.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Close Friend Art Shamsky Wrote a Book That Talked of Seaver’s “Short-Term Memory Loss”

Fox News released a report yesterday relaying that Seaver’s former teammate Art Shamsky stated that Seaver is suffering from “short-term memory loss.” Seaver apparently told him in 1991 that the condition can be traced to Lyme disease.

Shamsky played for the 1969 “Miracle Mets” alongside Seaver, hitting .300 with 14 home runs that season.

“He can forget things that happened just a few minutes before,” Shamsky was told by another teammate in Bud Harrelson, “and he repeats himself a lot. But when he gets his rest, he still has a lot of energy.”

In an interview with Newsday, Shamsky recalled a recent visit to Seaver’s home in Calistoga, a town in Northern California’s wine country.

They found Seaver energetic and in good spirits. Given the possibility that Seaver would become disoriented because of his condition, Shamsky expressed some apprehension when the former pitcher offered to drive the group down what Shamsky described as a “steep, winding road’’ from his home into town for lunch, but Seaver made the 10-minute drive with no issues.

“He remains a larger-than-life figure — even to his teammates,’’ Shamsky wrote, “and on this day, he was as gregarious as ever, with a booming voice that filled the house. It was clear to me that he was enjoying one of his ‘good days.’

2. Seaver has Limited his Public Appearances in Recent Years

According to the New York Times, Seaver has limited his public appearances the last few years. “He didn’t attend the Baseball Writers’ Association of America dinner in January,” the article states, “when members of the New York Mets’ 1969 World Series championship team were honored.”

One notable appearance came at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field, the Mets’ home stadium. He threw the first pitch before the American League topped the National League 3-0.

Even at the time, he was reportedly dealing with Stage 3 Lyme disease. The 69-year old at the time still threw the ball over the plate from the mound despite the “ill feeling.”

Another notable appearance came in 2009 when he threw the first ceremonial pitch to commemorate the first game of Citi Field. He tossed the pitch to former Met catcher Mike Piazza.

3. He Led the Miracle Mets to the 1969 World Series Championship

Seaver was drafted in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft. According to Peter Golenback’s book Amazin’: The Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team, he asked for $70 thousand for his initial contract, but the Dodgers passed.

He eventually found his way on the Mets in 1967, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors. He posted a 16-13 record for a Mets team that floundered to 61-101.

2 years later, he was the unquestioned ace on the 1969 World Series Champions, who were dubbed the “Miracle Mets.” He went 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA, while throwing 208 strikeouts.

In Game 4 of the World Series against the AL Champion Baltimore Orioles, Seaver pitched a 10-inning complete game for a 2-1 victory. He only ceded 6 hits while fanning 6 batters to stake the Mets to a 3-1 series lead.

Before they were the “Miracle Mets,” the franchise was known as the Amazin’ Mets, a phrase coined by former manager and Yankees legend Casey Stengel.

Come see my ‘Amazin’ Mets. I’ve been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose I never knew existed before.

Before the breakthrough in 1969, the Mets never posted more than 73 wins. The inaugural season was a 40-120 clunker. After 38 wins in their last 49 games, they earned a playoff berth to set up the title run.

4. Seaver was a 12-Time All-Star in a Career That Spanned the Mets, Reds, White Sox and Red Sox

Seaver sported a 311-205 win-loss mark in his career, including nearly 4,000 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA. He was also a 12-time All-Star in a career that spanned stints with the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

His most famous outing in Cincinnati came in 1978, when he tossed his only no-hitter of his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.

As Craig Muder of the Baseball Hall of Fame writes, “the stars aligned that day for Tom Terrific.”

Seaver, already the owner of three Cy Young Awards, five strikeout titles and a World Series championship, blanked the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on June 16, 1978, on no hits. Only three Cardinals’ batters reached base – all on walks. Two came in the second inning, when Seaver pitched out of a first-and-third jam.

But Seaver was perfect the next six innings, retiring 18 St. Louis batters in a row from the third through the eighth. Jerry Mumphrey walked to lead off the ninth, but Seaver quickly set down Lou Brock, Garry Templeton and George Hendrick to end the game.

5. He Owns a Vineyard in Napa Valley with his Wife Nancy

Seaver and his wife Nancy Lynn McIntyre married in 1966. Today, they own a vineyard named Seaver Family Farms in Calistoga, which is situated in the Napa Valley wine country.

In a New York Times profile on his new wine venture, Seaver talked excitedly about his new opportunity.

“You end up with the job you have and you end up in the Hall of Fame,” he said to Ken Belson, “and when you get there, you realize it’s the journey, not the destination.”

The couple has two daughter named Sarah and Annie.

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