Steve Carlton Biography

Steven Norman Carlton, born on December 22, 1944, is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1988, most notably with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning four Cy Young Awards and the 1980 World Series. Carlton held the lifetime strikeout record during parts of 1982 and 1984 before Nolan Ryan surpassed him. In 1972, he accounted for 46% of his team's wins, winning 27 games for the last-place Phillies who finished 59–97. After high school, he played baseball at Miami Dade College North, pitching in relief on a strong team under coach Demie Mainieri. In 1965, he pitched five innings of one-run ball in a game with the Cardinals' Florida East Coast Instructional League team and was promoted to the major league roster. On September 15, 1969, he struck out 19 batters in a nine-inning game while losing 4–3 to the New York Mets, setting a modern record at that time.