Hall of Fame Pitcher Seaver Has Dementia

The family of Tom Seaver announced Thursday that the Hall of Fame pitcher was recently diagnosed with dementia and is retiring from public life.

According to the statement, released through the Baseball Hall of Fame, Seaver will continue work in his vineyard in Calistoga in California's wine country.

According to MLB.com New York Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo, the team was hoping Seaver could attend a 50th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Miracle Mets but confirmed that in light of Thursday's news, he will not.

"We've been in contact with the Seaver family and are aware of his health situation," Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said in a statement. "Although he's unable to attend the '69 Anniversary, we are planning to honor him in special ways and have included his family in our plans."

Seaver, 74, was 311-205 with a 2.86 ERA in 20 seasons, the first 12 of which were spent with the Mets. He also pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox. The Mets' 1969 season was perhaps the best of Seaver's career, as he led the majors with 25 wins while sporting a 2.21 ERA. That season, Seaver won the first of his three career Cy Young Awards, earned the third of his 12 All-Star Game selections and finished runner-up in the National League MVP voting.

Seaver received 98.84 percent of all votes in 1992 when he was elected to the Hall, the highest percentage of votes received at the time. The mark stood until Ken Griffey Jr. earned 99.32 percent in 2016. Former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera received 100 percent of the votes in January.