Seaver Strived For More

By Jay Horwitz

Long before he won his first Cy Young and decades before he was selected to the Hall of Fame, Ed Kranepool knew Tom Seaver was a difference maker.

In a 5–2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 52 years ago today, The Franchise was brilliant as usual. He struck out 14 in eight innings and that gave Gil Hodges’ team a 24–23 record, the latest the Mets had been over the .500 mark in franchise history.

“Naturally the guys were feeling good and we some yelling and screaming,” said Ed, who had two home runs in the game. All of sudden Tom stepped into the middle of the clubhouse and said “Guys I didn’t come here to be satisfied with being one game over .500. We need to have higher goals.”

The Mets more than exceeded Tom’s expectations. They won 100 games and went on to turn back the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles to win the 1969 World Series.

“Tom just lifted us up, on the field, in the clubhouse and away from the park,” added Kranepool. “There is no championship in 1969 without him, that’s for sure.”