Steve Carlton

I recently thought to myself: “Who was the best pitcher ever on the worst team?” I didn’t want to write something about Walter Johnson, because his name regularly appears in my articles, so I decided to go with the next best person: Steve Carlton.

Steve Carlton was a very tough competitor, which is why he won 329 games (second only toWarren Spahn among lefties) in his 24-year career from 1965-1988 with the Cardinals, Phillies, Twins, Giants, Indians, and White Sox. His hard slider complemented a great fastball, getting him 4,136 career strikeouts, fourth on the all-time list and second on the list when he retired. “Lefty” (as he was nicknamed) had six 20-win seasons, was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, and is in second place (behind Bob Gibson) in baseball history for the most starts in a row with at least six innings pitched (69). The Miamian ten-time All Star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994, his first year of eligibility. Also, in 1972, Carlton won 27 games for the last-place Philadelphia Phillies, a team that only won 59 games all season! That’s almost 50% of the team’s wins, which is amazing! He definitely deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.

Well, that’s my article about the great Steve Carlton.  (Note that I originally posted this for Big Leagues Magazine, a really great online magazine that I write for. Hope you check it out.)
I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks, as always, for reading. Check back soon for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”