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Seaver, Ryan combine for 26 Ks in sweep of Padres

Written by: Craig Muder

By the end of their storied careers, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver had totaled 9,354 strikeouts between them.

And on one day in 1971, the two Mets teammates showed off their talent together by striking out 26 of the 54 Padres they retired in a doubleheader sweep.

On May 29, 1971, Seaver and Ryan were the Mets’ starting pitchers in a twinbill against San Diego – a team that hit just .233 that season, scoring a National League-low 486 runs.

In the opener, Seaver allowed just seven hits and one run in nine innings, striking out 10 batters in New York’s 5-1 victory. The win improved Seaver’s record to 6-2 on the season – a year in which he would go 20-10 with a career-best 1.76 earned-run average and a career-high 289 strikeouts.

Nolan Ryan pitched the first five seasons of his big league career with the Mets, helping New York win the World Series in 1969. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

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But the Mets’ pitchers were just getting started. In the nightcap, the San Diego fans were treated to a glimpse of the future when Nolan Ryan struck out 16 Padres in New York’s 2-1 victory. Ryan allowed only four hits and one unearned run while improving to 6-1 on the season.

For Ryan, 1971 was his final year with the Mets, and he went 10-14 while starting 26 games. He struck out 137 batters but walked 116 – and after the season was traded to the Angels.

With California, Ryan began assembling his Hall of Fame credentials en route to a record 5,714 career strikeouts in 27 seasons.

“He was the only guy that could put fear in me,” said future Hall of Fame teammate Reggie Jackson. “Not because he could get me out, but because he could kill me.

Tom Seaver recorded 198 of his 311 career victories with the Mets over 12 seasons. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

"You just hoped to mix in a walk so you could have a good night and go 0-for-3.”

Seaver, who finished his 20-year big league career in 1986, fanned 3,640 batters.

“My job isn’t to strike guys out, it’s to get them out, sometimes by striking them out,” Seaver told The New York Times in 1976.

Both Seaver and Ryan were elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility: Seaver in 1992 and Ryan in 1999.

On May 29, 1971, future Hall of Famers Tom Seaver (left) and Nolan Ryan combined to strike out 26 batters in a doubleheader against the Padres. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

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