The Philadelphia Phillies finally won their first World Series this year. It was a long wait for Philly fans, whose team had not even won the pennant since 1950. But the time was right; the Phillies had been an outstanding team since 1976, and had won a pair of division titles, but had not been able to reach the Series. This year, they won a tight pennant race with the Expos, and then defeated the Astros to win the pennant (the Astros also made their first playoff appearance this year).
        In the World Series, the Phillies defeated the Royals in six games. Philadelphia was led by both the MVP, Mike Schmidt, and the Cy Young winner, a phantastic pitcher named Steve Carlton.

        "Pressure? It doesn't exist."
        Steve "Lefty" Carlton was an unusual baseball star. On the field, he was a great pitcher; he was also one the best conditioned athletes in the game. Each winter, Carlton embraced a grueling workout regimen to keep himself in shape; the more adversity he faced, the harder he worked. After losing 20 games in 1973, he spent three weeks in training camp with the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL. After he turned 30, his conditioning programs became even more intense, to fight off the effects of aging.
        But for Carlton, keeping his mind in top shape was just as important as the physical conditioning. When he was struggling in 1970, a fan in Arizona began to mail him encouraging letters, a correspondence that lasted for several years. Carlton embraced the power of positive thinking, and became more confident on the mound. According to Carlton, the letters made him realize that "man is the only animal who puts limitations on himself".
        He was obsessed with distractions. Explaining why he prefered pitching at night, Carlton explained that, "I can see things moving behind the plate during the day. At night, there's only the catcher to focus on, fewer distractions." Unlike other players, he did not get involved in outside business interests, fearing that they might distract him. He later stuffed cotton in his ears to block out distracting noises.
        But despite all of his physical and mental preparation, he was still plagued by a sore elbow. In his offseason workout routines, Carlton began to focus less on weightlifting; he worked out with trainer Gus Hoefling, an expert in strength and flexibility. Their workout sessions included martial arts exercises, the most famous of which found Carlton buried in a large vat of rice. He adjusted his diet, cutting down on red meat while eating more fish and vegetables.
        "Hitting against Carlton is like trying to eat soup with a fork" - Willie Stargell
        In 1977, Carlton won 23 games, in his most impressive season since 1972, and won his second Cy Young Award. He had changed his approach; his slider was now his primary pitch, and set up the fastball, curve and changeup. The Phillies, after a slow start, won 101 games and another division title. They again lost in the NLCS, this time to the Dodgers; in Game One, Carlton was staked to a 4-0 lead but gave up a grand slam to Ron Cey. In Game Four he gave up a key two-run homer to Dusty Baker in the Phillies' final game of the year.
        By now, Carlton had taken his infamous vow of silence, refusing to speak to the press. He had gradually withdrawn, after clashing with members of the press who had ridiculed his "positive thinking" approach during his struggles in the mid-70's. By the end of the decade, his battery-mate Tim McCarver was answering questions for him. Carlton pitched well in 1978, though his record was only 16-13; the Phillies won their third straight division title, but lost another NLCS. Carlton won Game Three (and hit a home run off of Don Sutton) but it wasn't enough.
        In 1979, the Phillies convinced Carlton to start working with All-Star catcher Bob Boone, while McCarver moved to the broadcast booth. Carlton had an 18-11 record, and carried the team while three other starters were hurt. But he also clashed again with Danny Ozark; on June 30, he slammed the ball at Ozark's feet after being pulled from the game. Carlton was fined and apologized to his teammates; but the team continued to struggle, and on August 31 Ozark was fired and replaced by Dallas Green. The Phillies rallied to have a winning season but missed the playoffs.
        In 1980, Carlton got off to a 5-1 start, though his team struggled. The Phillies caught fire in May, and Carlton kept on winning. His slider was now widely recognized as the best pitch in baseball. On September 1, the Phillies, Expos and Pirates were in a three-way tie for first place. On September 16, the Phillies fell 2.5 games behind the Expos; on October 1, Carlton won his final start of the season to bring the Phillies within one game. They moved into a tie the next day, then won the first two games of the final series against the Expos and clinched the division title.
        In the NLCS against Houston, he started and won the first game 3-1. The Astros won the next two games; Carlton started Game Four, giving up two runs in five innings in a game that the Phillies won in extra innings. They won the decisive Game Five, and moved on to face Kansas City in the World Series. Carlton started Game Two; he struggled with his control, and gave up a three-run double to Amos Otis in the 7th inning. But the Phillies rallied to win the game; Carlton threw eight innings and 159 pitches, and got the win despite his struggles.
        He started Game Six with a chance to clinch the series. He gave up one run in seven innings; Tug McGraw finished the game, giving the Phillies their first ever World Series championship. While champagne flowed freely in the clubhouse, Carlton celebrated quietly in the trainers' room, which was off limits to the press. The man now known as "Lefty" finished the year with a 24-9 record and won his third Cy Young Award; including his postseason starts, Carlton had contributed 42 starts, 27 wins and 331 innings pitched to the Phillies' championship season.
        In 1981, the Phillies had the best record in the division at the time of the strike, good enough to get them into the playoffs. But they struggled in the second half, and were beaten by Montreal in the NLDS. Carlton had a 13-4 record, and passed Bob Gibson as the National League's all-time leader in strikeouts. In 1982, Carlton began the year 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA, and at age 37 appeared to be washed up; but he snapped back into form, leading the league in wins (with 23), innings, shutouts and strikeouts. The Phillies finished in second place, while Carlton won an unprecedented fourth Cy Young Award.
        In 1983, at age 38, he signed a four-year contract that made him the highest paid pitcher in baseball. Both he and Nolan Ryan passed Walter Johnson for most career strikeouts in baseball history, and he picked up his 300th career win. He was one of six players with the Phillies who were at or near age 40; they played .500 ball for much of the season, which cost manager Pat Corrales his job in July. GM Paul Owens took over as manager; in September, the "Wheeze Kids" had a 22-7 record and won the division title.
        Despite the team's success, Carlton had a 15-16 record. The Phillies suspected that he had an injury, but he refused to be treated by the team doctor. He started the first game of the NLCS, and beat Los Angeles 1-0. He won again in Game Four, sending the Wheeze Kids to the World Series. They lost in five games to the Orioles; Carlton started and lost Game Three by a 3-2 score.
        The end to his career was long and drawn out. He pitched well in 1984, and finished with a 13-7 record. In 1985 he began the year with a 1-7 record despite a 2.43 ERA. He was then forced onto the disabled list with a rotator cuff injury. He struggled badly in 1986; after he refused to retire, the Phillies released him. The Giants and White Sox both took a chance on him, and he recorded his 4000th career strikeout. In 1987, he struggled with Cleveland and Minnesota; he was cut by the Twins in 1988, and was forced to retire.
        Lefty was one of the most successful left-handers in baseball history. He started 709 games, and won 329 of them. He finished with 4136 strikeouts, currently fourth on the all-time list. He won four Cy Young Awards, and his 1972 season still rates as one of the greatest in baseball history. In his retirement, he pursues his non-baseball passions, including hunting, wine collecting and reading great literature. He also does motivational speaking tours, a fitting occupation for the man who once refused to speak.

        The runner-up in the Cy Young vote was Jerry Reuss. It was a good choice; Reuss had the best season of his long, 22-year career, in which he won 220 games. This was also his first good year in Los Angeles, which meant that manager Tommy Lasorda had to put up with Reuss' legendary antics. Reuss was once fined for putting on overalls, and joining the grounds crew (a fine that was paid for by the fans, who took up a collection). Having caught Lasorda's attention, Reuss would later remove all of Tommy's beloved celebrity pictures from his office, and replace them with pictures of himself. Reuss took it even a step further on another occasion, locking Lasorda in a hotel room for hours without a phone.
        Reuss was followed in the vote by Jim Bibby and Joe Niekro. Bibby was a decent pitcher for several years, and had his best year. Though his ERA was a little high, I think he was a good choice. But I have a tough time seeing Joe Niekro as one of the league's top pitchers, even though he won 20 games. Niekro's ERA was not very good, despite the fact he pitched half of his games in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. Instead, I'll choose the reliable Don Sutton, whose last year with the Dodgers was a good one.
        Houston's best pitcher was a huge man named J.R. Richard. Richard was 30 years old; he was power pitcher, and a strikeout artist; already a fine pitcher, Richard's control had started to improve dramatically, and he appeared on the verge of greatness. But Richard suffered a stroke midway through the season; though he tried to make a comeback, this was the last season of his career.