To pay tribute to the late Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver, every member of the New York Mets put dirt on the right knees of their pant legs prior to facing off against the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The nod was meant to symbolize Seaver’s iconic drop and drive delivery, as his right knee often accumulated dirt throughout the course of an outing on the mound.
A picture perfect salute to Tom Seaver, says @RealMichaelKay. pic.twitter.com/50SWlqefSV
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 3, 2020
“As Seaver fans are well aware, when he gets a dirt smudge on the right knee of his pants, it means he’s sharp,” wrote Sports Illustrated in 1983.
Genius idea from Uni Watch reader Joe Wagner: Since Tom Seaver famously had dirt on his right knee (due to his drop/drive motion), @Mets should memorialize him by rubbing dirt on their pants knees – or even wearing “dirty” patch on their knees – instead of a typical jersey patch. pic.twitter.com/YRmAheQDa2
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) September 3, 2020
The Mets will also unveil this weekend a Seaver uniform patch that they will wear on their jersey sleeves for the remainder of the season. New York governor Andrew Cuomo also ordered all flags at Mets-affiliated ballparks in the state to fly at half-staff.
The Mets are also expected to unveil a statue of Seaver early in 2021.
Seaver passed away on Monday from complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
