Seaver will not be the only member of that team to miss the ceremony. Several memorable players from that team have died, including Tommie Agee, Donn Clendenon and Tug McGraw. A few others who are not in good health may also decline to attend.

Still, Seaver was without a doubt the star of the 1969 team; he went 25-7 and won the first of his three Cy Young Awards. The Mets beat the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles, which shocked the baseball world because they had finished last or second to last every year since they joined the National League as an expansion franchise in 1962.

The conversion from lovable losers to Miracle Mets was the culmination of a three-year climb that started when Seaver arrived in New York as a rookie in 1967. He won rookie of the year honors that season, and went 16-13 with a 2.76 E.R.A. The next year, Gil Hodges became the manager of the team, and Seaver blossomed under his wing.

Seaver credited Hodges, who died in 1972, for helping him develop a better work ethic and become a smarter pitcher. But it was Seaver’s confidence, enthusiasm and ease in front of the camera that made him a favorite with fans, who dubbed him Tom Terrific. For years, crowds at Shea Stadium were noticeably larger when Seaver pitched.

“To have such a special baseball player, such a special pitcher, a legend of the game of baseball be a Met is a tremendous honor for our organization,” Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.”

Seaver helped the Mets return to the World Series one more time, in 1973, as they surged from last place in late August to become division champions. The Mets went on to defeat the Reds in a wild, five-game playoff, and then pushed the Oakland Athletics to seven games in the World Series before losing.

Seaver’s departure on June 15, 1977, is considered one of the darkest days in Mets history. After a long dispute with management over his salary, Seaver was traded to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman. Seaver energized an already-powerful Reds team, while the Mets finished in last place four out of the next six years. Almost a year after he was traded to the Reds, Seaver pitched his only no-hitter, against the St. Louis Cardinals in Cincinnati.