It ended with hitters walking back to the dugout again and again, wondering what just happened.

On August 22, 1970, Tom Seaver delivered one of the most overpowering finishes baseball had ever seen. The Mets’ ace struck out the final 10 batters he faced, setting an MLB record while finishing with 18 strikeouts in a tense 2–1 win. Seaver retired the last 16 batters overall, 12 by strikeout, falling just one shy of Steve Carlton’s single-game strikeout mark. By night’s end, the hitters were gone—and the record book had been rewritten.

🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:

  • Why the only Padre Seaver didn’t strike out was lifted for a pitch hitter

  • A Cy Young presentation before the first pitch

  • Seaver’s witty comeback to suggestions his performance was one-time thing

  • A landmark Curt Flood ruling tucked onto the same page

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