Krell: The Midnight Massacre: Tom Seaver to the Reds
From SABR member David Krell at The Sports Post on June 15, 2015:
Not since 1957, when the Dodgers and the Giants vacated Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively, had baseball in New York City suffered an emotional blow equivalent to the impact on June 15, 1977, when the New York Mets committed an unpardonable sin in the eyes of the Flushing faithful by trading Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds.
The Midnight Massacre.
Seaver in another team’s uniform did not compute. It was an incongruous thought. Blasphemous, even. Imagine Mickey Mantle playing for the Indians, Sandy Koufax playing for the Phillies, or Al Kaline playing for the White Sox. Nicknamed “The Franchise” for his importance to the team, Seaver was synonymous with the Mets. Beginning in 1967, the Mets flourished in Seaver’s glorious achievements in the National League, including Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, three Cy Young Awards, and five seasons leading the league in strikeouts. Indeed, Seaver was a cornerstone of the 1969 World Series championship team and the 1973 National League championship team that pushed the World Series against the dynastic Oakland A’s to seven games.
Read the full article here: http://thesportspost.com/blogs/view/baseball-history-midnight-massacre-tom-seaver-trade
Originally published: June 18, 2015. Last Updated: June 18, 2015.