Steve Carlton

[William Malone]

Steven Norman Carlton was born on December 22, 1944 in Miami, Florida.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed him as an amateur free agent in 1963. He made his Major League debut for them in 1965, and pitched seven seasons for the Cardinals. Carlton made three All-Star teams while in St. Louis, and helped them win a World Series title in 1967. They traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for veteran pitcher Rick Wise during spring training in 1972. The trade was ordered by Cardinals owner Gussie Busch, following back-to-back off-seasons marred by salary disputes.

Carlton for Wise is now seen as one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. Wise was an effective pitcher for several more seasons, but much of his success came in the mid-70's as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, Carlton wound up winning the NL Cy Young four times during his 15 years in Philadelphia. He led the league in wins four times, and strikeouts five times. The Phillies were World Series champions in 1980. Carlton went 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA in four starts that postseason.

There was a stretch in the early 1980's where Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry were frequently trading off the top spot on the all-time strikeout list. After the trio had all passed longtime record holder Walter Johnson on the all-time list, there were 14 lead changes over a three year stretch. Ryan would eventually pull away from the other two, and is still the all-time strikeout king. As of 2025, Carlton ranks fourth and Perry ranks eighth.

Philadelphia released a struggling 41-year old Carlton midway through the 1986 campaign. His struggles continued during a brief stint with the San Francisco Giants, and Carlton wound up finishing 1986 with the Chicago White Sox. He began 1987 with the Cleveland Indians.

The Minnesota Twins traded for Carlton at the 1987 trade deadline. He dazzled in his first start at the Metrodome, allowing just two runs in 8.2 innings against the Oakland Athletics on August 8th. It was a big win, because Minnesota had entered play with just a two game lead over Oakland for first place in the AL West. That game against the Athletics would wind up being his only win in a Twins uniform. Carlton made seven starts and two relief appearances for Minnesota after the deadline, going 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA.

He was left off the Twins playoff roster, but received his third World Series ring after Minnesota beat St. Louis in the fall classic. The Twins brought him back in 1988, but it was short lived. Carlton allowed 18 earned runs over just 9.2 innings, and he was released before the end of April. His retirement was announced just before spring training in 1989.

Carlton very rarely spoke to the media during his career. He didn't answer a single question from the press from 1974 until his introductory press conference with the Giants in 1986. Carlton has remained very private in retirement. Nobody sees or hears from him that much, outside of the occasional reunion ceremony for the 1967 Cardinals or 1980 Phillies. As of 2025, he has never attended any sort of reunion event for the 1987 Twins.

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