Next up on the blog is the final National League 1969 All-Star to get the red "All-Star" banner across the bottom of their 1970 card, starting pitcher Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals, who was already on his way to becoming a dominant force in the game over the next 15 years:
Carlton
would actually get the win in the All-Star game, pitching three innings
while giving up two runs on two hits while striking out two.
He
would finish the 1969 season with his first truly great year in the
Majors, going 17-11 with a 2.17 earned run average, with two shutouts,
12 complete games and 210 strikeouts, the first time he'd reach 200 in a
season in his young career.
Of
course, he would end up topping 200 strikeouts another seven times,
with a career-best 310 in his historic 1972 season that saw him win 27
games while pitching to a 1.97 ERA, all league-leading numbers, for a
last-place Philadelphia Phillies team, while completing 30 of his 41
starts. Just insane!
From then on he just pitched himself straight to the Hall of Fame,
winning 329 lifetime games, with 55 shutouts, a 3.22 E.R.A. and 4146
strikeouts.
He was also named to 10 all-star teams and was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards: 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982.
Throw in six 20-win seasons, eight sub-2.00 E.R.A. seasons, and
eight 200+ strikeout seasons, and you see why he was named on 436 of 456
ballots when Cooperstown came calling.
