Steve Carlton

Pitcher

Class of 1994

Steve Carlton

Pitcher

Class of 1994
Steve Carlton was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards.

Games

Birth year

About Steve Carlton

Baseball players, especially pitchers, work hard to stay in shape during the off-season with cardio conditioning. But running just wasn’t for Steve Carlton.

Instead, Carlton, nicknamed “Lefty”, used martial arts and weight lifting as part of his conditioning program and propelled himself to a fitness level that allowed him to throw for 24 seasons in the big leagues. A focused competitor, Carlton used his biting slider and a great fastball to achieve excellence on the mound.

“Lefty was a craftsman, an artist,” said Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. “He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame. Stroke, stroke, stroke, and when he got through it was a masterpiece.”

Born on Dec. 22, 1944 in Miami, Fla., Carlton signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963. He made the big league club in 1965. He appeared in both World Series appearances for the Cardinals in 1967 and 1968, earning a ring in 1967. In 1971, he had his first 20-win season and requested a contract of $60,000 for the following year.

"Augie Busch traded me to the last-place Phillies over a salary dispute,” Carlton said. “I was mentally committed to winning 25 games with the Cardinals and now I had to re-think my goals. I decided to stay with the 25-win goal and won 27 of the Phillies 59 victories. I consider that season my finest individual achievement."

His first season in Philadelphia, Carlton led the league in wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts. It earned him his first Cy Young Award.

In 15 seasons with the Phillies, Carlton led the league in wins four times, winning 20-or-more games five times. The 10-time All-Star would go on to win a total of four Cy Young Awards and a Gold Glove Award in 1981. On Sept. 24, 1983, he became just the 16th pitcher to win 300 games.

“Lefty has a hard time being human as a pitcher, so he became superhuman, and did things that were superhuman,” said his long-time Philadelphia battery-mate Tim McCarver.

He signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1986 and finished out his career with the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. He finished his career with 329 wins – second to only Warren Spahn among lefties – and 4,136 strikeouts.

Carlton was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Basics

Year inducted
1994
Birth Place
Miami, Florida
Birth Year
1944

Career at a Glance

Primary Team
Philadelphia Phillies
Primary Position
Pitcher
Played For
St. Louis Cardinals, 1965-1971
Philadelphia Phillies, 1972-1986
Chicago White Sox, 1986
San Francisco Giants, 1986
Cleveland Indians, 1987
Minnesota Twins, 1987-1988

Career MLB Stats

Games
741
Wins
329
Losses
244
Winning %
.574
Saves
2
Hits
4,672
Walks
1,833
Runs
2,130
Games Started
709
Innings Pitched
5,217
Completed Games
254
Shutouts
55
Earned Runs
1,864
Strikeouts
4,136
ERA
3.22
WHIP
1.247

Steve Carlton Stories

Explore the archives and go deep into the lives, careers, and stories of the Hall of Fame's honorees.

Carlton becomes lefty strikeout king

Steve Carlton records 3,000th strikeout

Steve Carlton passes Bob Gibson atop the NL's all-time strikeout list

Carlton strikes out a record 19 batters in a nine-inning game

Carlton records 300th win during historic season

Cardinals trade Steve Carlton to Phillies