Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Michael Schatz
Back when pitchers threw complete games like they were going out of style and 300 wins meant something, Steve Carlton was carving up hitters with a slider that seemed to defy physics. “Lefty” didn’t just dominate—he rewrote the record books with performances that still make old-timers shake their heads in wonder.
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Won 27 Games for a 59-Win Team in 1972
Picture this: your team loses 97 games and finishes dead last, yet you personally win 27 of the team’s 59 victories. That’s exactly what Carlton did in 1972, accounting for an absurd 45.8% of Philadelphia’s wins—a feat so ridiculous it’s hard to comprehend. The Cardinals had foolishly traded him over a salary dispute, and Carlton made them pay by becoming a one-man wrecking crew for the woeful Phillies.
Four Cy Young Awards in the Live Ball Era
Carlton became the first pitcher ever to win four Cy Young Awards, claiming the hardware in 1972, 1977, 1980, and 1982—all while wearing Phillies red. This wasn’t some dead-ball era fluke; this was sustained excellence when hitters were bigger and the ball was livelier than ever. His 1982 victory at age 37 made him the oldest pitcher to win the award at the time, proving that his devastating slider aged like fine wine.
4,136 Career Strikeouts – Fourth All-Time
When Carlton retired, his 4,136 career strikeouts were second only to Nolan Ryan’s. That slider was so nasty that hitters knew it was coming and still couldn’t touch it. Even today, he ranks fourth all-time, behind only Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens—pretty exclusive company for a guy who relied on one dominant pitch.
329 Career Wins – Second Most Among Lefties
Carlton’s 329 career victories rank second among left-handed pitchers, trailing only Warren Spahn’s 363. In an era when 300 wins still meant automatic Hall of Fame induction, Carlton reached that milestone despite playing for some truly awful Phillies teams in the early 1970s. His win total represents nearly two decades of consistent excellence, back when pitchers were expected to finish what they started.
30 Complete Games in His 1972 Season
In 1972, Carlton threw 30 complete games out of 41 starts—a workload that would hospitalize modern pitchers and send today’s pitch-count-obsessed managers into therapy. Carlton’s durability was legendary; he’d routinely throw 130-pitch complete games like they were casual batting practice sessions, embodying an era when pitchers were expected to be workhorses, not prima donnas.
90 Career Balks – Nearly Double the Runner-Up
Here’s a record Carlton probably didn’t want: 90 career balks, nearly double the second-place total in baseball history. His elaborate windup and deceptive delivery, while devastating to hitters, apparently confused umpires just as much. It’s the kind of quirky stat that proves even the greatest players have their peculiar flaws, though in Carlton’s case, it was a small price to pay for that unhittable slider.
5,217 Innings Pitched Over 24 Seasons
Carlton’s 5,217 career innings represent the kind of durability that modern baseball has completely abandoned. To put this in perspective, today’s ace pitchers might throw 200 innings per season; Carlton averaged 217 innings per year over his entire 24-year career. His left arm was essentially a machine that ran on pure determination, churning out innings like a factory worker punching a time clock.
Won the Pitching Triple Crown in 1972
As if winning 27 games wasn’t enough, Carlton also captured the pitching Triple Crown in 1972. He led the National League in wins (27), ERA (1.97), and strikeouts (310), achieving one of the rarest feats in baseball. It was a season of such singular dominance that it stands as arguably the greatest individual pitching performance in modern history.
1.97 ERA While Pitching for Last Place
Carlton’s 1.97 ERA in 1972 was a masterpiece of excellence amid team futility, like finding a perfect diamond in a pile of coal. While his teammates were busy setting records for incompetence, Carlton was painting corners and striking out batters with surgical precision. The fact that he maintained such dominance while playing for a historically bad team makes this stat even more remarkable; there’s no hiding behind good defense or run support when your team finishes 37.5 games out of first place.
Struck Out 19 Batters in a Nine-Inning Game
On September 15, 1969, Carlton turned Busch Stadium into his personal strikeout clinic, fanning 19 Mets batters in nine innings. Every single Met struck out at least once, with six players going down twice, yet somehow New York still won 4-3 thanks to two Ron Swoboda home runs. It was the kind of performance that had fans checking their scorecards twice, wondering how a pitcher could be so utterly dominant yet still lose.