Phillies steal Steve Carlton from Cardinals
February 25, 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals traded future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise. The trade will prove to be one of the best in the history of the Philadelphia franchise, as Carlton will win an incredible 27 games for the last-place Phillies in 1972. During the next 15 years with the Phillies, Carlton will win 241 games and four Cy Young awards, 3 Top 5 MVP finishes, win a triple crown, and become a 7-time All-Star. He helped take a team that finished 37 games out of first to a perennial contender from 1976 – 1983, as the Phillies won 6 NL East crowns, 2 National League pennants, and the 1980 World Series, which is one of two truly successful times in the 142-year history of the Phillies.
Wise, who was coming off his best year, 17 wins, 2.88 ERA, and an All-Star, had one of the best games in history as a starter in 1971; on June 23 of that year, he pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds and hit two home runs in the game, becoming the first pitcher ever to homer in his own no-hitter. Wise was solid for two years in St Louis and went on to top his 17 wins with 19 with the 1975 Red Sox, he will earn his only Cy Young recognition that year. Wise will end his career with 188 wins and a 3.69 ERA over 18 seasons.
At the time of the trade, there was some history between Gussie Busch, the Cardinals owner, and Carlton. A contract dispute with the Cardinals (he had made $26,000 in 1969 and was holding out for $50,000, as opposed to the Cardinals’ contract offer for $31,000) made Carlton a no-show at spring training in 1970, which was eventually settled with a two-year contract of $80,000. He proceeded to go 10–19 with a 3.73 ERA, leading the NL in losses. In 1971, Carlton rebounded, going 20–9 with a 3.56 ERA, his first of six 20–win seasons.
Going into the 1972 Season, Carlton, at 26, a 3-time All-Star, had established himself with 77 wins, a 3.10 ERA, a World Series winner, and a durable pitcher averaging 33 starts the last four years. He asked for $65,000, and the Cardinals offered $55,000. Busch feared another holdout, order trade, and the Phillies, as you will hear, jumped all over it in a few days and a few phone calls. According to salary records on Baseball reference, Carlton got his $65,000 from Philadelphia.
At the time, the trade made sense from the Cardinals’ perspective. Carlton had won 77 games to Wise’s 75, and both were considered among the game’s best pitchers. Tim McCarver, who had caught for Carlton in St. Louis and Wise in Philadelphia (and would later become Carlton’s catcher again with the Phillies), described the trade at the time as “a real good one for a real good one.” He felt Carlton had more raw talent, but Wise had better command on the mound.
Carlton in his first season with Philly, Carlton won 27 games for the last-place club. His percentage of the team wins, 46%, is the highest in baseball history. He paced NL pitchers in wins, ERA (1.98), innings, complete games (30), and K’s (310) winning the triple crown. He became the first Cy Young award winner on a last place team and was 5th in NL MVP voting. Wise went 16-16 with a 3.10 ERA.
Some highlights of Carlton’s 1972 season included starting the season with five wins and one loss, then losing five games in a row, during which period the Phillies scored only 10 runs. At this point, he began a 15–game winning streak. After it ended at a 20–6 record, he finished the final third of the year with seven more wins and four losses, ending with 27 wins and 10 losses. Carlton also completed 30 of 41 starts.
During the 18 games of the winning streak (three were no-decisions), Carlton pitched 155 innings, allowed 103 hits and 28 runs (only 17 in the 15 winning games), allowed 39 walks, and had 140 strikeouts. From July 23, 1972, to August 13, 1972, he pitched five complete-game victories, allowed only one unearned run while only giving up 22 hits in 45 innings, and threw four shutouts. Carlton’s slider was basically unhittable.
“Auggie Busch traded me to the last-place Phillies over a salary dispute,” reflected Carlton on his 1972 season. “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.”
Ironically, Wise ended up getting more than Carlton from the Cardinals. Looking back, the trade is considered one of the worst trades in Cardinal’s history and one of the most lopsided trades in all of baseball history.
Southpaw K-Leader
Carlton was the first left-hander to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, which he attained in 1981. In 1986 he became the first southpaw to reach 4,000 K’s, and he remained the all-time leader in strikeouts for lefties until Randy Johnson passed him.
The race to pass the big train:
Over three years between 1982 and 1984, Carlton was involved in an interesting pitching duel with Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry, in which they often traded places at the top of the all-time strikeout list. At the start of the 1983 season, the 55-year-old mark of Walter Johnson was 3,508 strikeouts, but three pitchers were within 100 strikeouts of Johnson: Ryan (3,494), Perry (3,452), and Carlton (3,434). Ryan was the first to surpass Johnson on April 22, 1983, against the Montreal Expos. However, a stint on the disabled list shortly after he set the record, combined with a spectacular season by Carlton (275 strikeouts), allowed Carlton to make up ground. On June 7, 1983, Carlton passed Ryan as the all-time strikeout king with 3,526 to Ryan’s 3,524. There were 14 lead changes and one tie that season, often after each of their respective starts, before the season ended with Carlton leading 3,709 to 3,677. Perry, aging and in his final season, passed Johnson later to finish his career with 3,534 strikeouts. Since then, five other pitchers have surpassed Johnson’s mark, and Johnson has fallen to ninth place on the all-time strikeout list.
There were five more lead changes and a tie in 1984 before Carlton ran out of gas. His last-ever lead in the all-time strikeout race was after his start on September 4, 1984, when he struck out four Cubs to lead Ryan by three (3,857 to 3,854). Although the season ended with a mere two-strikeout lead for Ryan (3,874 to 3,872), Carlton had an injury-riddled season in 1985 and an even worse season in 1986 before being released by the Phillies just 18 strikeouts short of 4,000.
1970s Win Leaders
Jim Palmer — 186 Gaylord Perry — 184 Tom Seaver — 178 Fergie Jenkins — 178 Carlton — 178
Trivia: When did Steve Carlton win his 300th game?
Answer: The Phillies’ left-hander won his 300th game on September 23, 1983, against his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Steve Carlton All Teammate Team
C: Tim McCarver
1B: Dick Allen
2B: Joe Morgan
3B: Mike Schmidt
SS: Larry Bowa
LF: Greg Luzinski
CF: Garry Maddox
RF: Harold Baines
DH: George Foster
SP: Bob Gibson
SP: Jim Kaat
SP: Tom Seaver
SP: Phil Niekro
SP: Vida Blue
RP: Tug McGraw
M: Danny Ozark
Nine Players Who
Debuted in 1965
Lee May
Mark Belanger
Bobby Murcer
Roy White
Steve Carlton
Tug McGraw
Fergie Jenkins
Jim Palmer
Catfish Hunter