Born on December 22, 1944 in Miami Florida, Steve Carlton played for six teams over his long career including the Cardinals, Phillies, White Sox, Giants, Indians and Twins. He was elected in the Hall of Fame in 1994 receiving 436 out of 455 ballots cast.

Steve Carlton was an extremely focused competitor with complete dedication to excellence. He thrived on the mound by physically and mentally challenging himself off the field. His out-pitch, a hard, biting slider complemented a great fastball. He won 329 games — second only to Warren Spahn among lefties — and his 4,136 strikeouts are exceeded only by Nolan Ryan. "Lefty" once notched 19 strikeouts in a game, compiled six 20-win seasons, and was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards.

In 1972 Carlton became the fifth pitcher ever to win 20 games for a last-place team, collecting 27 of the Phillies' 59 victories, a record 45.8 percent! Carlton's 27-10 record included a 15-game winning streak, eight shutouts, and 30 complete games, which was the highest completion total since the 1940's. He won the pitching Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, and also topped the circuit with 346 1/3 innings, the most by a National Leaguer since 1953.

Carlton won his third Cy Young Award in 1980, leading the league in strikeouts (286) and wins (24) while posting a 2.34 ERA. He won one game in the LCS series and he beat the Royals twice in the World Series. Lefty won his NL record-setting fourth CY Young Award in 1982, going 23-11 with league highs in strikeouts (286) and innings pitched (295). (Note: in 1998 Roger Clemens won an unprecedented fifth Cy Young Award while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays)

Wear and tear began to take its toll and the southpaw retired in 1988. In 1989 the Phillies retired Carlton's No. 32 as the greatest pitcher in the team's history and the owner of virtually every Phillies pitching mark. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994, his first year of eligibility.

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