Legacy of Steve Carlton

Looking back, it’s reasonable for anybody to ask: How did Steve Carlton do what he did for as long as he did it? His stats and longevity are remarkable.

While there are fewer left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball than right-handers, some of the greatest pitchers have been southpaws. Consider these names: Warren Spahn and Randy Johnson. I include Steve Carlton as one of the best lefties, but he’s not always considered in that echelon–not because of his pitching, but because of his lack of communicating with the media for most of his career.

He might be the best left in MLB history (photo, MLB)

Carlton pitched for 24 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, after beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965. He had some good seasons there, including winning a championship in 1967, but the work that got him in the Hall of Fame was his labors in Philadelphia.

Carlton had his best season in 1972, even though the Phillies won just 59 games, leading the National League (NL) with 27 wins. That’s not a misprint. Nearly half of the team’s wins that year came when Carlton was on the mound. He was that good, and these numbers say why. He led the NL in ERA (1.97), strikeouts (310), and innings pitched (346.1), and won the 1972 NL CY Young Award.

Carlton’s work paid off for the Phillies when he led them to their first championship in 1980.

–Carlton made 10 All-Star teams

–Led the NL in strikeouts five times (1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1983)

–Won the NL CY Young Award four times (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982)

–Led the NL in wins four times (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982), and he is

–11th all-time in wins with 329, and 4th in strikeouts with 4,136.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994

I believe Steve Carlton would be better known if he had spoken to the public through the media. It’s clear, though, that his left arm did the talking for him.

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The original version of this article was published on Anthony’s blog.