1965–1988 · P

Steve Carlton

6' 4", 210 lbs·Lived to 82·Bats L / Throws L

Hall of Fame · 19944×Cy Young AwardGold GloveAll-Star

The Almanac's Take

Carlton's 1972 season remains one of the most dominant individual pitching performances in baseball history — he won 27 games for a Phillies team that managed only 59 victories total, meaning he accounted for nearly half their wins. That Cy Young campaign featured a 1.97 ERA and 310 strikeouts, numbers that showcase the southpaw's devastating slider at its peak.

The four Cy Young Awards tell the story of sustained excellence few have matched. Carlton's 4,136 career strikeouts ranked second all-time when he retired, built on a combination of pinpoint control and that legendary slider that made right-handed hitters look foolish. His 115 career ERA+ across 24 seasons demonstrates remarkable consistency for a pitcher who threw over 5,200 innings.

"Lefty" earned his nickname and his Hall of Fame plaque by being virtually unhittable during his prime years in Philadelphia, where he became the ace of those late-1970s and early-1980s contending teams.

Career Highs

1.97

Best ERA · 1972

Most W · 1972

310

Most K · 1972

0.993

Best WHIP · 1972

Career Arc · OPS

21 seasons

Career Arc · ERA

24 seasons

Statistical Comps

Sandy Alcantara

99%

2022 season

K/9 8.2 · BB/9 2.0 · HR/9 0.63 · SP · FB 97.8 mph · Whiff% 23

Alek Manoah

98%

2022 season

K/9 8.2 · BB/9 2.3 · HR/9 0.73 · SP · FB 93.6 mph · Whiff% 22

Framber Valdez

98%

2022 season

K/9 8.7 · BB/9 3.0 · HR/9 0.49 · SP · FB 94.1 mph · Whiff% 25

Career · Hitting

24 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1965	STL	15	2	0	0	.000	.000	—
1966	STL	9	15	0	0	.267	.579	—
1967	STL	30	72	0	3	.153	.367	—
1968	STL	35	73	2	3	.164	.438	—
1969	STL	32	80	1	7	.213	.566	—
1970	STL	34	80	0	4	.200	.472	66
1971	STL	37	96	0	8	.177	.429	63
1972	PHI	41	117	1	8	.197	.501	75
1973	PHI	40	100	2	5	.160	.415	59
1974	PHI	39	102	0	9	.245	.513	74
1975	PHI	37	90	0	9	.156	.378	54
1976	PHI	35	92	0	6	.217	.470	69
1977	PHI	36	97	3	15	.268	.684	94
1978	PHI	34	86	0	13	.291	.660	94
1979	PHI	36	94	0	10	.223	.508	70
1980	PHI	38	101	0	6	.188	.388	54
1981	PHI	24	67	0	4	.134	.383	56
1982	PHI	38	101	2	8	.218	.535	75
1983	PHI	37	97	0	1	.196	.460	64
1984	PHI	34	84	1	10	.190	.459	65
1985	PHI	16	28	0	3	.179	.414	58
1986	PHI	32	45	1	8	.200	.506	70
1987	CLE	32	0	0	0	—	—	—
1988	MIN	4	0	0	0	—	—	—
Career		745	1719	13	140	.201	—	—

Career · Pitching

24 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1965	STL	15	25.0	0	0	2.52	139	21	1.400
1966	STL	9	52.0	3	3	3.12	113	25	1.423
1967	STL	30	193.0	14	9	2.98	111	168	1.218
1968	STL	34	231.7	13	11	2.99	100	162	1.187
1969	STL	31	236.3	17	11	2.17	166	210	1.176
1970	STL	34	253.7	10	19	3.73	104	193	1.372
1971	STL	37	273.3	20	9	3.56	97	172	1.365
1972	PHI	41	346.3	27	10	1.97	165	310	0.993
1973	PHI	40	293.3	13	20	3.90	96	223	1.384
1974	PHI	39	291.0	16	13	3.22	112	240	1.323
1975	PHI	37	255.3	15	14	3.56	104	192	1.257
1976	PHI	35	252.7	20	7	3.13	112	195	1.172
1977	PHI	36	283.0	23	10	2.64	151	198	1.124
1978	PHI	34	247.3	16	13	2.84	130	161	1.177
1979	PHI	35	251.0	18	11	3.62	110	213	1.159
1980	PHI	38	304.0	24	9	2.34	164	286	1.095
1981	PHI	24	190.0	13	4	2.42	148	179	1.126
1982	PHI	38	295.7	23	11	3.10	124	286	1.147
1983	PHI	37	283.7	15	16	3.11	124	275	1.273
1984	PHI	33	229.0	13	7	3.58	106	163	1.279
1985	PHI	16	92.0	1	8	3.33	117	48	1.489
1986	PHI	32	176.3	9	14	5.10	78	120	1.599
1987	CLE	32	152.0	6	14	5.74	75	91	1.651
1988	MIN	4	9.7	0	1	16.76	22	5	2.586
Career		741	5217.3	329	244	—	—	4136	—

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