Phillies were dominated by Tom Seaver for years
The Phillies were one of Tom Seaver’s biggest victims for nearly two decades
On Wednesday night the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that pitcher Tom Seaver had passed away at the age of 75. A pitcher who dominated the game for two decades, Seaver had a special knack for putting down the Phillies on a yearly basis.
Phillies legend Larry Bowa shared his condolences on social media upon learning the news, saying Seaver was one of the toughest pitchers he ever faced.
My heart is heavy tonight after hearing of the passing of one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Tom Seaver. My condolences go out to Nancy and the Seaver family. He was one of the toughest pitchers I faced in my career and off the field he was a great person. RIP.
— Larry Bowa (@LarryBowa10) September 3, 2020
Bowa had 138 career plate appearances against Seaver, the fourth most of any player, and hit only .212 with three doubles, a triple, and a home run.
Bowa wasn’t the only Phillies player Seaver dominated in his career. Mike Schmidt was a career .188 hitter against Seaver, while Dick Allen hit .208 in 61 plate appearances.
In 53 appearances (52 starts) against the Phillies Seaver had a 3.00 ERA in 396 innings with 350 strikeouts. His best season against Philadelphia came in 1973 when he had a 0.98 ERA in three starts against the Phillies, including an 11 inning complete game in September to earn his 17th win.
That season he won his second of three Cy Young Awards to go with his Rookie of the Year, 12 All-Star games, three ERA titles, and 1969 Miracle Mets World Series ring.
Seaver’s 27 wins over the Phillies were the third most he had against any team behind the Padres and Braves, but those 350 strikeouts were by far the most against any opponent. He also had 23 complete games and five shutouts against Philadelphia, both among the top against teams in his career.
He will forever be remembered as the greatest Met of all-time and one of baseball’s great pitchers. His 311 wins are the 18th most all-time and his 107 WAR is the second-best among modern-era pitchers.