Tom Seaver
1964 Alaska Goldpanners
1965 Alaska Goldpanners
|
|
No-hitter, July 26, 1964 (2) vs. Fort Richardson Pioneers (7
innings)
Combined No-Hitter (with Mike Paul) August 23, 1964 vs. Brandon, NE
Fairbanks Reference on 1972 Topps Tom Seaver
Pictures Courtesy of Ed Kopec, Seaver &
Goldpanners Superfan
1965: Dramatic Midnight Sun Game Ends With Strikeout
Tom Seaver's Pitching Motion (From the 1965 Midnight Sun Game)
|
SEAVER SET THE STANDARD Seaver and the ‘60s Tom Seaver set the standard for a generation of big league pitchers. In his twenty-year career in the Major Leagues, the righthanded fireballer won 311 games and notched 3,640 strikeouts, while posting a 2.86 career ERA, and picking up three Cy Young awards. Seaver was elected overwhelmingly to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 -- the first year he was eligible for the ballot -- by the highest percentage in history. But before Seaver became the National League’s 1967 Rookie of the Year, and a world-famous New York Mets champion in 1969, “Tom Terrific” was an Alaska Goldpanner. He played in Fairbanks for two seasons with the Panners (1964-65), after his first year of college ball, at Fresno City College, and second after his transfer to the University of Southern California. The transfer to USC came as a direct result of Tom’s progress during his summer with the Fairbanks club. In those days, Panner manager Red Boucher had struck a highly successful relationship with legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux, which still bears fruit into the next generation of ballplayers. The Goldpanners teams of the mid-60’s were loaded with big league prospects. In addition to Seaver, six other players from the 1964 and 1965 teams made it to the Majors. 1964 was a big year in Goldpanner history -- highlighted not only by a talented team that played in the National Baseball Congress championship game, but by also three other important events: the dedication of Growden Memorial Park, the installation of the first outdoor ballfield lights in the state of Alaska, and the first visit to Fairbanks by longtime team General Manager Don Dennis. Governor Egan attended the ‘64 Midnight Sun Game to dedicate the park to the memory of James Growden, a teacher and coach from Fairbanks, who lost his life in Valdez during the great earthquake of ‘64. Also celebrated were the lights -- for use on any dark, cloudy, rainy or smoky night they’re needed- except, of course, never during a Midnight Sun Game. (continued on p.25) Later Goldpanners GM Don Dennis was also in attendance at the ‘64 Midnight Sun Game, in his dual role as the sports editor at the Grand Junction, CO Sentinel, and as an advisor to the visiting Grand Junction Eagles, in town to play a five-game Midnight Sun series with the Panners. Red Boucher, the Goldpanners founder and GM, always had a good eye for talented people, on the field and in the front office; and after a few years of lobbying, Boucher convinced Dennis to come to Fairbanks in 1967 as his assistant, although it wasn’t that tough a sell. Dennis was impressed by Boucher, the Goldpanners organization and Alaska baseball. He was also intrigued by the opportunity for adventure that Alaska offered. When Dennis took over the GM’s post from Boucher, he used his recruiting skill and contacts in college baseball to put together the Goldpanner teams that won five National Baseball Congress Championships in the decade of the 1970s. Seaver didn’t arrive in Fairbanks in time to play for the Panners in the ‘64 Midnight Sun Game -- a 10-5 loss to the Eagles -- but he put his name in the Goldpanner record books later that summer at the NBC tournament, when he teamed with Mike Paul to pitch a no-hitter, a 6-0 win over Brandon, NE; and while Seaver made his reputation in the majors as a power pitcher, at that same NBC tournament -- in a game that Seaver pitched in relief -- he proved that he could hit for power too, belting a sixth inning grand slam in an 8-3 victory over the hometown Wichita Oldsmobile team. In his autobiography, Seaver wrote that his NBC grand slam was the biggest thrill of his entire baseball career. Seaver and Ironman Mies Another of Seaver’s Goldpanner teammates in ‘64 and ‘65 was pitcher and first baseman George Mies, who put his stamp in the Panner record books by playing seven consecutive seasons -- from ‘60-‘66 -- a mark for longevity that went unmatched until last year, when Fairbanks native Sean Timmons, a member of the current Goldpanner generation, tied Mies’ record as the longest-tenured Panner. While Timmons will take sole possession of the “ironman” title with his return to the team this summer, Mies’ accomplishments and contributions to the Goldpanners will never be forgotten -- especially his performance in the ‘65 Midnight Sun Game against the USC Trojans. Tom Seaver was the starting pitchier in the solstice ballgame, taking the hill against his college teammates, and opposing pitcher 1964-65 Panner John Herbst. Mies came in
to the game to relieve Seaver in the fifth inning-without any warmup, after
Seaver split his hand bare-handing a comebacker- and the game featured what
is arguably the greatest edge-of-your-seat ending in Midnight Sun Game
history, as reported by Stan Caufield
on page 5 of this year’s Goldpanners
yearbook." (2004 Yearbook)
|
"(Rod Dedeaux) offered Tom a full scholarship and asked him to test his skill in first-class competition. Dedeaux wanted Tom to go to Alaska and pitch for the Goldpanners. The spring session had ended at Fresno City, so Tom got on a plane to Fairbanks. Upon his arrival in Alaska, he was greeted by Goldpanners manager Red Boucher. Mr. Boucher gave Tom a uniform and drove directly to the ballpark, where the Goldpanners were playing the Washington State Bellingham Bells. The score was tied 2-2. Tom was asked to get in uniform and go to the bullpen. By the sixth inning, Tom was brought into the game, having just got off the plane. He struck out the first batter he faced, got the next one to pop up, and went on to win the game. At the end of the summer season, Tom was named to the All-Tournament team at the National Baseball Conference tournament in Wichita, Kansas. There was no question that he would get a scholarship to USC."
|
"The things I remember best about playing at USC are that we worked hard, learned a lot and had a really great time doing it,” Seaver once said. “I learned more in one year at USC under coach Dedeaux than I would have in two or three seasons in the low minors. I learned concentration and to stay in the game mentally."
 | Left, from top: Joe Austin, John Herbst, Rick Monday, Butch Thompson, Steve Clark, Skip Hancock and Walt Peterson. Middle, from left: Mike Stepovich, Tom Seaver, Bob Maxwell, Phil Blackwell, Graig Nettles, Dennis Smith, and Gary Sutherland. Bottom, from left: Bud Hollowell, Curtell Motton, Buddy Bovender, H.A. (Red) Boucher, Sam Suplizio, Jimy Williams and Mike Paul. Batboys: Tommy Alexander and Wolfgang Fischer. |
|
Seaver Plugs Goldpanners It took only until the second inning of the World Series opener for Tom Seaver to deliver his annual plug for Fairbanks and the Alaska Goldpanners on national television Tuesday night. more...
"I just want to take a moment to express my appreciation, Red, for the opportunity you made available to me and the time you spent helping me as a Goldpanners. [It was] a vital step in my progress" (Diamonds in the Rough, p. 27)
THE ALASKA LEGISLATURE
* HONORING TOM SEAVER *
|
|
|
1964 Alaska Goldpanners
1965 Alaska Goldpanners Batting Stats
Pitching Stats
Fielding Stats
|
|
Major League Statistics 1967-1986
Pitching
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA *lgERA *ERA+ BFP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+
1967 22 NYM NL 16 13 35 34 1 18 2 0 251.0 224 85 77 19 78 170 2.76 3.38 122 1029
1968 23 NYM NL 16 12 36 35 1 14 5 1 277.7 224 73 68 15 48 205 2.20 3.02 137 1088
1969 24 NYM NL 25 7 36 35 1 18 5 0 273.3 202 75 67 24 82 208 2.21 3.67 166 1089
1970 25 NYM NL 18 12 37 36 1 19 2 0 290.7 230 103 91 21 83 283 2.82 4.01 142 1173
1971 26 NYM NL 20 10 36 35 1 21 4 0 286.3 210 61 56 18 61 289 1.76 3.40 193 1103
1972 27 NYM NL 21 12 35 35 0 13 3 0 262.0 215 92 85 23 77 249 2.92 3.35 115 1060
1973 28 NYM NL 19 10 36 36 0 18 3 0 290.0 219 74 67 23 64 251 2.08 3.63 175 1147
1974 29 NYM NL 11 11 32 32 0 12 5 0 236.0 199 89 84 19 75 201 3.20 3.59 112 956
1975 30 NYM NL 22 9 36 36 0 15 5 0 280.3 217 81 74 11 88 243 2.38 3.45 145 1115
1976 31 NYM NL 14 11 35 34 0 13 5 0 271.0 211 83 78 14 77 235 2.59 3.30 127 1079
1977 32 NYM NL 7 3 13 13 0 5 3 0 96.0 79 33 32 7 28 72 3.00 3.76 125 390
CIN NL 14 3 20 20 0 14 4 0 165.3 120 45 43 12 38 124 2.34 3.95 169 641
TOT NL 21 6 33 33 0 19 7 0 261.3 199 78 75 19 66 196 2.58 3.88 150 1031
1978 33 CIN NL 16 14 36 36 0 8 1 0 259.7 218 97 83 26 89 226 2.88 3.54 123 1075
1979 34 CIN NL 16 6 32 32 0 9 5 0 215.0 187 85 75 16 61 131 3.14 3.74 119 868
1980 35 CIN NL 10 8 26 26 0 5 1 0 168.0 140 74 68 24 59 101 3.64 3.57 98 692
1981 36 CIN NL 14 2 23 23 0 6 1 0 166.3 120 51 47 10 66 87 2.54 3.56 140 671
1982 37 CIN NL 5 13 21 21 0 0 0 0 111.3 136 75 68 14 44 62 5.50 3.72 68 501
1983 38 NYM NL 9 14 34 34 0 5 2 0 231.0 201 104 91 18 86 135 3.55 3.64 103 962
1984 39 CHW AL 15 11 34 33 1 10 4 0 236.7 216 108 104 27 61 131 3.95 4.16 105 978
1985 40 CHW AL 16 11 35 33 0 6 1 0 238.7 223 103 84 22 69 134 3.17 4.32 136 993
1986 41 CHW AL 2 6 12 12 0 1 0 0 72.0 66 37 35 9 27 31 4.38 4.31 99 309
BOS AL 5 7 16 16 0 1 0 0 104.3 114 46 44 8 29 72 3.80 4.19 110 450
TOT AL 7 13 28 28 0 2 0 0 176.3 180 83 79 17 56 103 4.03 4.24 105 759
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+
20 Yr WL% .603 311 205 656 647 6 231 61 1 4782.7 3971 1674 1521 380 1390 3640 2.86 3.64 127
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+
162 Game Avg 16 10 34 33 0 12 3 0 249.3 207 87 79 19 72 189 2.86 3.64 127 1010
Career High 25 14 37 36 1 21 7 1 290.7 230 108 104 27 89 289 1.76 4.31 193 1173
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+
W L G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA *lgERA *ERA+ BFP
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
