Tom Seaver Heats Up: 1970 Pitching Records

Batters were likely to come up empty against Tom Seaver, who led the NL in strikeouts five times. He painted the strike zone with precision on April 22, 1970, when he fanned 19 San Diego Padres, including the final 10 batters he faced. The Mets won at home, 2-1. “He’s an outstanding pitcher, period,” manager Gil Hodges said. “Tom Seaver is capable of doing most anything good with a baseball.” In the performance, Seaver set an MLB record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game (later tied). He also set a franchise record for most whiffs in a nine-inning game (later tied) and tied the MLB record in that same category (later broken).