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Steve Carlton attended North Miami High School, where he played basketball and baseball. On the court, the 6’4″ Carlton used his strength and height to bully shorter defenders. His quick feet and explosive leaping helped him challenge bigger opponents who expected an easier matchup. Coaches loved his energy, yet he still searched for a true athletic direction.

On the baseball mound, Carlton served as the team’s number-two starter during his junior year. He cared little about academics and showed no interest in playing sports after graduation. Carlton talent stayed raw, and his confidence wavered. He struggled to find a sense of purpose.

Before his senior year, Carlton quit basketball so he could focus only on baseball. That decision changed everything. He won four of his five pitching decisions in his senior season and carried himself with new belief. Each strong outing convinced him that baseball might offer a future. The future Hall of Famer began to study the game with greater intensity and enjoyment.

The pitcher’s surge in performance expanded his options. Coaches encouraged him to continue his career, and he finally agreed. The diamond felt more and more comfortable, and he embraced that feeling. After graduation, Carlton enrolled at Miami Dade College North, eager to test himself at the next level.

Shown here is a contract with Frank H. Fleer Corporation to appear on baseball cards made by the company. Carlton gained $125 for the pleasure of signing with Fleer before the start of his major league career.

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St. Louis signed Steve Carlton out of Miami Dade College North in October of 1963. At just 19 years old, he began his professional career in the Cardinals’ chain in ’64.

That season the 6’4″ left-hander went 15-6 with a 2.22 ERA playing at Low-A Rock Hill, Single-A Winnipeg, and Double-A Tulsa. In the winter Carlton pitched for the Cardinals entry in the Florida East Coast Instructional League.

The following spring Carlton signed this contract on March 17, 1965, three months after his 20th birthday. Documents from before his big league debut remain difficult to find.

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St. Louis signed Steve Carlton out of Miami Dade College North in October of 1963. At just 19 years old, he began his professional career in the Cardinals’ chain in ’64.

That season the 6’4″ left-hander went 15-6 with a 2.22 ERA playing at Low-A Rock Hill, Single-A Winnipeg, and Double-A Tulsa. In the winter Carlton pitched for the Cardinals entry in the Florida East Coast Instructional League.

Then in 1965 he made the big club, debuting for St. Louis on April 12 of 1965. Though Carlton shuttled between the majors and the minors in ’65 and ’66, he pitched effectively for the Cardinals when given the chance. In 77 innings spanning 24 games during the two seasons, Carlton pitched to a 2.92 ERA.

By the start of the 1967 season he was in the majors to stay.

Shown here is a 1965 Topps card showing Cardinals rookie pitchers. The 329-game winner Carlton signed his name on the card.

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Steve Carlton bounced between the majors and minors in 1965 and 1966. The young lefty finally secured a permanent big-league role in 1967. That season he posted a 14-9 record, a 2.98 ERA, 11 complete games, two shutouts, and 168 strikeouts. Those numbers established him as one of St. Louis’s most reliable starters.

Carlton’s rise played a key part as Cardinals surged to 101 wins and claimed the National League pennant. During the World Series, the club handed him the ball for Game 5 against Boston ace and Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg.

Three days earlier Lonborg controlled Game 2 with a one-hit shutout. In Game 5 against Carlton  he delivered another stellar outing. Lonborg went the distance, recorded four strikeouts, and allowed only three hits.

Carlton answered with sharp stuff of his own. He struck out five over six innings and surrendered three hits and one unearned run. Boston added two insurance runs in the ninth off of two St. Louis relievers. Roger Maris responded with a solo homer in the ninth, producing the Cardinals’ lone run in the 3-1 defeat.

The Series stretched to seven games before Bob Gibson secured the title with a win over Lonborg.

Two Game 5 tickets from the 1967 Fall Classic appear here. Carlton signed both. On the top ticket he inscribed “1st WS Start, 6 IP 1 ER”; on the bottom he wrote “1967 WS Champs”.

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Steve Carlton pitched admirably for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1965-1971. In three of his last four seasons in the Gateway to the West he represented the club in All Star Game.

Carlton’s final season with the Redbirds marked his first 20-win campaign. The twenty victories was second in the National League behind only Cy Young winner Fergie Jenkins. In addition to Carlton, New York’s Tom Seaver, and Comeback Player of the Year Al Downing also won 20. Seaver and Downing finished second and third behind Jenkins in Cy Young balloting.

In the collection is a 1972 Topps card showing the National League’s four 20-game winners of ’71. Jenkins, Carlton, and Downing each signed it.

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After a series of contract disputes with Steve Carlton, Cardinals owner Gussie Busch instructed GM Bing Devine to trade their young pitcher. In February, 1972, Devine complied, sending Carlton to Philadelphia.

With much to prove, Carlton responded with one of the best seasons since the Deadball Era. Pitching for the 97-loss Phillies squad that finished 37 1/2 games out of first place, he won 27 contests. His mastery included a 1.97 ERA and 310 strikeouts en route to pitching’s Triple Crown.

Remarkably durable, Carlton completed 30 of his 41 starts while topping the Senior Circuit with 346 1/2 innings pitched. Cy Young voters made Carlton their unanimous choice.

Former National League president Warren Giles presented the award to Carlton on April 15, 1973. On a sunny Sunday at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium 30,718 fans cheered as Giles handed the left-hander his much-deserved plaque.

In the collection is Giles’ expense report for the trip. Dated three days after the ceremony, the report details the cost of roundtrip airfare from Giles’ home in Cincinnati to Philadelphia and taxi fares.

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Steve Carlton’s second Cy Young campaign came in 1977. Lefty topped National League pitchers in wins, was third in ERA+ and complete games, and fourth in strikeouts. For good measure he hit .268 and posted career highs at hits, homers, and RBI.

On the offensive side, Philadelphia had a potent one-two punch in Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski. Schmidt led the league in WAR with 8.9 while slugging 38 homers and driving in 101 runs. Luzinski set career highs in homers (39), RBI (130), total bases (329), average (.309), on-base percentage (.394), slugging percentage (.595) to finish second in MVP balloting.

Behind the performances of their stars, the team marched to their second of three-consecutive Eastern Division crown.

Shown here is the back of a 1977 Phillies schedule with information about how to purchase tickets. Notice Luzinski’s signature on the upper right of it.

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Founded in 1883, the Philadelphia Phillies waited nearly a century to win the first title. When they finally won the World Series in 1980, it was Steve Carlton who earned the Series-clinching victory.

From their inception until 1975 the team made the postseason only twice, appearing in the 1915 and 1950 World Series. Then in ’76 they began an extended run of success.

During an eight-year run from the country’s bicentennial year until 1983, Philadelphia won five Eastern Division crowns. They also played into October during the strike-shortened 1981 season.

In 1980 the team made their third appearance on baseball’s biggest stage, squaring off against the AL champion Kansas City Royals. Ace Steve Carlton did his part.

In his Game 2 start, Lefty struck out 10 in a victory that put the Phillies up two-game-to-none. Seven days later he returned to the mound with his team one game away from their first championship.

Carlton did not disappoint, holding the AL champions to one run over seven innings. Tug McGraw finished the final two innings to preserve the Carlton victory. In two World Series starts the Phillie stalwart Carlton went 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA. He struck out 17 Royal hitters in 15 innings.

Shown here is a ticket to the clinching game that earned the Philadelphia Phillies their first Fall Classic triumph. Winning pitcher Carlton signed the ticket.

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Baseball is a game that respects statistical milestones more than any other. When it comes to pitching, the two landmark career plateaus are 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts.

Walter Johnson of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class founded the 3,000-K club when he recorded his milestone punchout on July 18, 1923. Baseball waited another half century before Cardinals ace Bob Gibson doubled its membership.

On the last day of the ’78 season San Diego’s Gaylord Perry joined them. Then on the 4th of July in 1980, Houston’s Nolan Ryan provided the fireworks by striking out Cincinnati’s Cesar Geronimo for his 3,000th. Seven years earlier the Reds centerfielder was also Gibson’s 3,000th victim.

Tom Seaver made the club a quartet on April 18th, 1981. Eleven days later Carlton whiffed Montreal’s Tim Wallach to join him.

The ticket above allowed a lucky fan into the game when Steve Carlton joined the five legendary pitchers in the 3,000-strikeout club. The Phillies left-hander signed the ticket and added the inscription, “3000 Ks”.

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A ten-WAR season as a pitcher reflects utter dominance. From the end the Deadball Era in 1920 until 1980, there were two dozen 10+ WAR pitching seasons in the big leagues. Steve Carlton had two of them.

His first came in his initial Cy Young season of 1972. The second came in 1980. That season Carlton led the NL in wins, ERA+, innings, and strikeouts. The performance earned him 23 of the 24 first-place votes in Cy Young balloting. A lone vote for Dodger pitcher Jerry Reuss prevented Carlton’s third Cy Young nod from being unanimous.

Shown here is a ticket signed by Reuss. It allowed one lucky fan into Game 5 of the 1981 World Series. Reuss was masterful in that contest. Going head-to-head against the Yankees Ron Guidry, Reuss went the distance, scattering five hits to give Los Angeles a 2-1 win. Three days after the pivotal victory, the Dodgers won it all.

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Steve Carlton made ten All Star teams during his 24-year big league career. He represented the St. Louis Cardinals in his first three Mid Summer Classics in 1968, ’69, and ’71. In Philadelphia, the Hall of Fame hurler pitched his way into the All Star Game in 1972, ’74, and ’77 before reeling off four straight All Star campaigns from 1979-1982.

The 1981 affair was held at Cleveland Stadium before 72,086 fans. The picture on the Donruss baseball card shown above was taken before that contest. Titled “Steve & Carlton, Carlton & Fisk”, the 1981 offering is signed by both Steve Carlton and Carlton Fisk.

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On August 18, 1981, Tom Seaver of the Reds and Steve Carlton of the Phillies faced off at Riverfront Stadium. It was a historic pitching matchup, the first time in baseball history both starters had 200 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. Seaver entered with 252 wins and 3,041 strikeouts, while Carlton had 258 wins and 3,068 strikeouts.

The game was part of an era where both pitchers were at the peak of their careers, showcasing their dominance on the mound. The crowd of 25,363 witnessed a rare and memorable battle between two of baseball’s most legendary pitchers.

Seaver dominated, earning the win after pitching 8 1/3 innings. He allowed just one run on four hits and struck out five. Carlton, though effective, took the loss. He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, and also struck out five.

Seaver had a strong record against Carlton. In 17 matchups, Seaver went 11-3 with three no-decisions. Carlton, in contrast, had a 3-12 record with two no-decisions.

Shown here are the lineup cards from that game filled out and signed by the managers. John McNamara’s signature is on the Reds card while Dallas Green signs the Phils lineup.

Seaver ended his career five years later with 311 victories and 3,640 Ks. Left-hander Carlton completed his career in 1988 with 329 wins and 4,1,36 whiffs.

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When Steve Carlton fanned his 3,128th batter on September 21, 1981, he surpassed Bob Gibson as the National League’s all time leader in strikeouts. Lefty was far from done.

By the time he hung up his spikes in 1989, Carlton has exactly 4,000 strikeouts as a Senior Circuit hurler. His NL record still stands. Carlton also racked up another 136 Ks in the AL to push his career total to 4,136. Among MLB’s lifetime strikeout leaders only Nolan Ryan (5,714), Randy Johnson (4,875), and Roger Clemens (4,672), have more

Topps printed a baseball card commemorating the K that made Lefty the NL’s top strikeout man. Here he signs the card from the 1982 set.

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The Cy Young Award was inaugurated in 1956 to recognize pitching excellence. Through 1966 it was given to the singular best twirler in the major leagues. Then in 1967, it was expanded to honor a pitcher in each league.

Through the award’s first 70 years four pitchers have been dominant enough to earn the nod four times. Roger Clemens holds the record with seven Cy Young nods. Second on the list left-hander Randy Johnson with five. Greg Maddux and Steve Carlton round out the list of those with as many as four Cy Young Awards.

Steve Carlton earned two Cy Youngs in the 1970s and two more in the 80s. During the quartet of campaigns Lefty won 97 games, leading the league in victories each season. In addition to his Cy seasons of ’72, ’77, ’80 and ’82, Carlton had top-5 finishes in ’76 and ’81.

In the collection is the game-used lineup card signed by five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson. During this game, Johnson struck out his 300th batter of the 1993 seasons. That marked the first of his record-tying six 300-K campaigns. The card also features the signature of Seattle manager Lou Piniella.

Though the Mariners lost the game in 12 innings, Johnson did his part, allowing only two runs in ten innings of work. He struck out 13 and finished the game with 301 Ks. Only Johnson and Clemens have more Cy Youngs than than Carlton.

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Senators great Walter Johnson pioneered the 3,000-strikeout club in 1923 and concluded his career with 3,509 whiffs. The Big Train held the all-time K record for the rest of his life.

In fact, Johnson claimed the top spot for 60 years before Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton surpassed his total in 1983. On April 27th Ryan passed Johnson. Less than a month later on May 20th, Carlton did the same.

With Ryan in Houston’s five-man rotation and Carlton pitching in the Phillies four-man starting staff, the two men soon took turns passing each other. By season’s end Carlton held the mark with 3,709 strikeouts.

Today, Ryan is #1 by a large margin with 5,714 strikeouts. One of four men with over 4,000 Ks, Carlton stands at #4 with 4,136. In between the two men are Randy Johnson (4,875) and Roger Clemens (4,672).

Shown here is a ticket that allowed a lucky fan into Veterans Stadium on May 20, 1983, the night Steve Carlton passed the great Walter Johnson on the all-time strikeout list. Carlton adds his signature boldly across the top portion.

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Steve Carlton entered the game on September 23, 1983 against the St. Louis Cardinals with 299 victories. Helping his own cause, Carlton drove in the Phillies first run. On the mound, he went 8 innings, holding the club that he broke in with to two runs. In an outstanding performance, Carlton scattered 7 hits, walked 1 and struck out 12.

When closer Al Holland slammed the door in the 9th in the Phillies 6-2 triumph, he secured the 300th win of Carlton’s career. With the victory Carlton joined Warren Spahn and Deadball Era star Eddie Plank as baseball’s only southpaw 300-game winners.

Shown here is a ticket to Carlton’s 300th win signed by the Hall of Fame hurler.

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Only ten hurlers in the history of the game have tallied 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. The milestone club includes the game’s greatest pitchers. On September 23, 1983, Steve Carlton earned his 300th victory to join their ranks.

Half of the 300/3,000 crew put themselves on the list in the 1980s. Joining Carlton in the decade were Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver, and Gaylord Perry. Carlton has the most wins and strikeouts of the 80’s quintet.

The other five pitchers in the prestigious unit include Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens , Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, and the club’s founder Walter Johnson.

Shown here is The Big Train’s handwritten letter to Hall of Fame executive Ford Frick thanking him for his lifetime pass to all big league games.

 

 

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Six-time 20-game winner Robin Roberts is one of the greatest pitchers in Phillies history. He holds the franchise record for games, innings, complete games, and pitcher’s WAR. He also held the Phillies career mark for wins for more than a quarter century.

Roberts became the team’s career win leader on May 13, 1958 when he notched his 191st career victory. With that, he overcame Grover Cleveland Alexander. Roberts then added 43 more victories in Philadelphia to extend the mark to 234.

Twenty-six years later Steve Carlton passed Roberts with his 235th win. Carlton’s triumph came against Montreal with Expos ace Steve Rogers on the hill. Aided by Mike Schmidt’s second-inning two-run blast and an RBI of his own, Carlton twirled 6 2/3 innings for the record-breaking victory.

Shown here is a ticket to the contest when Carlton broke Roberts’ franchise mark. On his record-breaking day Carlton fired 6 2/3 innings against the Montreal Expos. Backed by Mike Schmidt’s two-run homer and an RBI of his own, Carlton took home the victory and claimed the Phillies record.

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Steve Carlton became the first 300-game winner to strikeout out 4,000 batters on August 5, 1986. Four years later on July 30, 1990, Nolan Ryan earned his 300th win to join Lefty.

In a double-milestone performance, Roger Clemens got both his 300th win and his 4,000th strikeout in the same June 13th start in 2003. Since then, Randy Johnson made the club a quartet.

Shown here is a ticket that allowed a lucky fan into Game 3 of the 1969 World Series. All-time strikeout leader Ryan earned the save in his only career appearance in the Fall Classic. The Express  signs the ticket with the inscription, “1969 W.S. Champions”.

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Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt teamed up with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1972-1986. The year after each player retired the Phillies honored them with induction into their Wall of Fame.

On the mound Carlton was a dominating Phillies presence. His 241 wins and 3,031 strikeouts with the club are franchise records. Schmidt is atop the Philadelphia all-time list in offensive, defensive, and overall WAR. That comes with being the franchise’s head man in walks, runs, homers, extra bases, and total bases.

Carlton retired from the game in 1988 and was honored the following year. Schmidt left the game in ’89 and joined Carlton in the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1990.

Shown here is a Topps offering showing 1980’s American League RBI champ Cecil Cooper, and Schmidt who topped all NL batters in the category. Both men signed it.