Mets honor Seaver with salute, jersey and dirt-smudged knee

The New York Mets paid tribute to Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver with a series of salutes.

News 12 Staff

Sep 4, 2020, 2:55 AM

Updated 1,628 days ago

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Mets honor Seaver with salute, jersey and dirt-smudged knee
The New York Mets paid tribute to Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver with a series of salutes.
When the Mets took the field for their game at Citi Field against the Yankees, they all had a smudge of dirt on their right knee. That's a nod to how Seaver's uniform pants looked when he pitched, with his knee dropping low to the mound for more power.
Seaver died Monday at age 75. His death was announced Wednesday. There was a moment of silence for Seaver and both teams doffed their caps to his No. 41 that hangs from the upper deck.
News 12 New Jersey spoke with Somerset Patriots manager Sparky Lyle. Lyle was a star on the Yankees when Seaver was pitching for the Mets.
“I think his persona…as big as a star as he was, you’d never known it,” says Lyle. “Those are the kind of guys we need today.”
Newark native and former Yankees catcher Rick Cerone spent 18-years in the big leagues. Cerone says he was always an easy out for Seaver.
“He got his 300th win against us. I helped him out, I think. I went 0-for-4 or 0-for-3. He was pitching for Chicago at Yankee Stadium, so it was a great honor,” Cerone says. “He's in a better place, in that Hall of Fame in the sky and he was the Mets. He was the franchise, he was Tom Terrific, and he'll be missed.”
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.