White Sox Grant Seaver’s Wish With Trade to Boston for Lyons

Tom Seaver, a member of the 300-victory club and one of baseball’s all-time great pitchers, got his wish to be traded closer to his Connecticut home Sunday when the Chicago White Sox sent him to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder-third baseman Steve Lyons.

Seaver, 41 and a future Hall of Fame member with 306 wins, will enter a rotation featuring Roger Clemens, who has a 14-0 record including a 20-strikeout game, and 10-game winner Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd.

“At this point in my career, this is extremely important from a personal standpoint,” Seaver said. “The closer I get to home, the better off I am. I am also extremely happy to be able to play for a person of the caliber of (Manager) John McNamara. This is a man I love dearly.”

Seaver won 40 games while playing for McNamara at Cincinnati from 1979-81. Seaver said the other advantage about going to the Red Sox is the opportunity to watch Clemens pitch every five days.

“Seaver is a Hall of Famer, a genuine person, and a true professional,” McNamara said. “We are very, very thrilled. He knows what it is all about. He’s been there before and he knows what we are trying to do: win games. And the Yankees didn’t get him.”

The Red Sox hold an eight-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East.

“You can never have enough games in front of the other guys and you can never have enough quality players,” said Don Baylor, Boston’s designated hitter. “We don’t have a lot of guys who have been through the pressure of a pennant race.”

Seaver, who pitched on two pennant-winning teams with the New York Mets and a divisional championship team with the Reds, is expected to join the Red Sox in Boston on Monday and he will start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Lyons is expected to join the White Sox in Oakland on Monday.

Seaver made it clear to White Sox officials that he wanted to finish out his career nearer his family in Greenwich, Conn. The Red Sox and Yankees had both been negotiating to acquire the right-hander, but the Yankees dropped out of the bidding when the White Sox asked for too much.

“Tom was an asset when he was in a White Sox uniform,” said Ken Harrelson, executive vice-president of baseball operations for the White Sox. “He got his 300th here. With his two daughters growing up, he wanted to be there with them. He’s going into the Hall of Fame. We’re good friends, yet the baseball situation was a little bit strained.”

Jim Fregosi, new Chicago manager and a former teammate of Seaver’s with the Mets, said he was happy the White Sox could work something out for Seaver.

“We wanted to get this done for Tom,” Fregosi said. “He was obviously not happy with his situation here and I’m sure that affected him.”

Seaver has been bothered by a shoulder problem and has not posted a victory since April 23. He worked five innings in his last outing Wednesday but is only 2-6 with a 4.38 earned-run average.

The Red Sox, however, are desperate for starting pitching and still believe there are some victories left in Seaver’s arm.

Seaver’s lifetime record is 306-198 with a 2.89 ERA. He began his major league career with the Mets in 1967 before being traded to the Reds in 1977. He rejoined the Mets in 1983 for one season before signing with the White Sox after the Mets surprisingly left him unprotected in the winter free agent compensation pool draft.

In Lyons, the White Sox are getting a 25-year-old speedster who is rated a top notch defensive outfielder. Lyons hit .264 in 133 games for Boston last year but has seen limited duty this year, being used mostly as a late inning defensive replacement for center fielder Tony Armas.

“I’ve liked him since he came into professional baseball,” Harrelson said of Lyons. “The only reason we were able to get him is that Boston is in a divisional race.

“Steve called me and said he was very happy with the trade. He liked the Red Sox organization but he wasn’t playing. He has a certain air about him. He’s a little cocky and I like that. He has a lot of tools.”