"I didn't realize until my senior year in high school that I might make a living out of baseball."
Steven Norman Carlton was drafted and signed by the Cardinals at age 18. He claimed to have developed a strong throwing arm as a child by throwing rocks at birds; he later played in both high school and American Legion ball. Though not a star in school, he impressed Howie Pollet at the Cards' tryout camp. He was tall (6'4") and very thin, which earned him the nickname "Ichabod".
In 1964, he pitched at Rock Hill, Winnipeg and Tulsa in his first pro season. He was called up to the majors at the end of the year, but didn't pitch for the World Champions. He was armed with a good fastball and a great curve; he started a couple of games in 1965 with the Cardinals, and in 1966 got both his first major league win and shutout.
In 1967 he took a regular turn in the starting rotation, and won 14 games. The Cardinals won the pennant and another World Series; Carlton started Game Five, giving up one run in six innings but losing to Jim Lonborg. During the offseason he began lifting weights; in the spring of 1968, he showed up weighing 225 lbs., 40 pounds heavier than he had been when he made his debut three years earlier.
Carlton began the year 7-1, including three shutouts in May. But he struggled badly in the second half of the season, finishing with a 13-11 record. The Cardinals returned to the World Series, but Carlton made only two relief appearances. He was convinced that he needed a more effective pitch to get right-handed hitters out; while on a tour in Japan, he began to experiment with the slider.
The results were outstanding. Carlton was 17-11 in 1969, and was second in the league with a 2.17 ERA. He started the All-Star Game for the National League; on September 15, he set a major league record by striking out 19 Mets in one game (though he lost the game 4-3, due to two home runs hit by Ron Swoboda). After his successful season, Carlton insisted that he was due for a raise, and held out in the spring of 1970; the Cardinals invoked the renewal clause to force him back to work.
"The imagination almost always wins in a clash with the will and, believe me, my imagination had a hell of a year in 1970."
The season was a disaster. He had a 10-19 record (despite an above-average ERA); he had missed most of the spring, and felt that he had never gotten into proper shape. He also felt betrayed by his slider, which often flattened out and contributed to soreness in his left arm. He junked the slider in the spring of 1971, instead focusing on improving his changeup; he won his first four games of the year and ended up with a 20-9 record.
With Bob Gibson in decline, it appeared that Carlton would emerge as the new staff ace. But the Cardinals feared another spring holdout, with both sides still unable to agree on his salary. On February 25, 1972, Carlton was traded to Philadephia for Rick Wise. After joining his new team, Carlton set 25 wins as his goal for the season. His debut with the Phillies was delayed by the player strike, but he won his first three starts of the year, including two shutouts.
After a 5-1 start, Carlton lost five straight games in May to fall to 5-6. The Phillies were a terrible team; Carlton, however, rebounded and started winning again... and winning... and winning... until he had won 15 consecutive decisions with the worst team in the league. 53,000 fans turned out to watch his 15th straight win, and cheered him for half an hour after the game. Carlton finished the year 27-10, an incredible record for a team that only won 59 games all year. He was a unanimous choice for the Cy Young Award.
"Yes, I threw at him. I didn't mean to hit him on the head. But I retaliated. It's obvious that you have to retaliate in that situation and I did. I'm not ashamed of it."
Carlton quickly became a sporting icon in Philadelphia. Entering the 1973 season, he set 30 wins as his new personal goal. He was set back by a bout of bronchitis in spring training. He got off to a strong start in April, but struggled badly in May and June; he had a good July, which he credited to extra rest at the All-Star break, but then faded late in the year. He finished the season with a 13-20 record, a terribly disappointing result for player, team and city.
He blamed a tired arm for his struggles, the result of overwork in 1972, and not enough preparation during the winter. He pitched better in 1974, but still had a disappointing 16-13 record; he also clashed with manager Danny Ozark. GM Paul Owens admitted that the team was willing to trade Carlton, but in 1975 he signed a new three-year deal. He had another tough year, posting a 15-14 record, while bothered by a sore elbow and a viral infection.
After three years of career drift, he rebounded to win 20 games in 1976. He still wasn't as dominant as he had been in 1972, but the Phillies were a much better team and won the division. He also had a new personal catcher, old friend Tim McCarver, whom he had worked with in St. Louis. In the NLCS, the Phillies were overwhelmed by the Big Red Machine; Carlton lost his one postseason start, giving up five runs in seven innings. (see
NL 1980).
Don Sutton had his best year, too. I like to think of
Don Sutton as the Lou Brock of pitchers, or vice-versa. This year
was the closest Sutton would ever come to being the best pitcher in
the league; most years, he would just record his usual 14-18 wins,
and come back for another year. Likewise, Brock could never be
compared to Aaron or Clemente or Mays or some other guys... but he
was always pretty good. Brock did some things to make himself more
famous than Sutton, and made the Hall Of Fame much faster. But both
are worthy candidates; Sutton won 324 games in his career, and I
think the numbers above show that he was a pretty good pitcher.
Have you ever heard of Steve Blass Syndrome? I don't think
there's a clinical term for his affliction, which is essentially
the inability to throw strikes. It's rare, but it strikes quickly
and is very serious. Blass was a very good pitcher, and this was
probably his best year. Look what he did next year:
WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
S BLASS (1973) 3 9 23 18 1 0 8 89 109 84 27 985
Egads! That's bad. Steve Blass Syndrome is a mental block; possible sources of the block include a lack of confidence, self-doubt and frustration. In most cases, the pitcher loses control of his ability to throw strikes; the worst cases (Blass, Kevin
Saucier, Joe Cowley) never came back.
But sports psychologists have made progress. In 1998, Atlanta Braves' relief ace Mark Wohlers developed the syndrome, walking 33 batters in just 20 innings. The next year, he recorded only two outs, while walking six batters. But by 2001, Wohlers was back and throwing strikes, and continued his success in 2002. Former phenom Rick Ankiel also began his comeback in 2004. Blass himself is throwing strikes off the mound again, many years after his career ended.
Bob Gibson had his last big season. He was 36 this year, and
could still dominate. He lasted three more seasons, finishing with
251 wins. His career wasn't very long; he lasted 17 seasons, 3 of
which were throwaways. But at his peak, he was about as good as
anybody.
