There’s been an outpouring of love for Tom Seaver since Wednesday night when it was announced that the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer passed away at age 75.

Seaver died Monday from complications of Lewy body dementia and the coronavirus, according to the Hall of Fame. The pitcher’s family announced last year that Seaver was suffering from dementia and would not make any more public appearances.

Seaver’s career spanned 20 seasons with four different teams, but he made the biggest impact with the New York Mets. Considered the greatest player in the history of the franchise, Seaver led the Mets to the World Series championship in 1969. The pitcher won three Cy Young awards in the Big Apple.

Former MLB players, baseball writers and famous New Yorkers alike shared personal memories of Seaver and how he influenced them.

“Tom represented our childhood,” long-time Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen said on SNY. “He was a light that we could all look to. He was the one person who changed the entire notion of what it was to be a New York Mets fan.”

David Axelrod, former chief strategist for President Barack Obama, said he grew up a Mets fan and stopped rooting for the team when Seaver was traded during the 1977 season.

“Tom was a gentleman who represented the best of our national pastime,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He was synonymous with the New York Mets and their unforgettable 1969 season.”

Before catcher Mike Piazza was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, Seaver was the only player to enter Cooperstown donning a Mets cap. When Seaver was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, he set a record with 98.84% of the votes that lasted for 24 years.

“Just a class act. Just a gentleman in the way he handled himself, and really the way he handled his whole career,” said Miami manager Don Mattingly, who played with New York Yankees from 1982-1995. “We just left New York, and every time you walk in a door there, it’s like Tom Seaver Hall, with different pictures.”

The Mets had their inaugural season in 1962 and averaged 109 losses through its first five years. Seaver made his debutin 1967 and won the NL Rookie of the Year award, helping to transform the franchise into a contender. New York reached the World Series twice with Seaver on the roster, posting a winning record in seven of the pitcher’s last eight full seasons with the club.

Seavers ranks sixth all-time with 3,640 strikeouts and 18th in history with 311 wins.

Tom Seaver New York Mets
Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver speaks during a number retirement ceremony for former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium on May 11, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
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