Gary Carter

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Carter earned his nickname of "the Kid" during his first spring training camp with the Expos in 1974. He made his major league debut at Jarry Park in Montreal on September 16, 1974, against the New York Mets. Though he went 0–4 in that debut, he finished the season batting .407 (11–27). His first MLB home run came on September 28 against Steve Carlton. In 1977, after the trade of starting catcher Barry Foote, Carter responded with 31 home runs and 84 RBIs. In 1980, he hit 29 home runs, drove in 101 runs, and earned the first of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards, finishing second in NL MVP voting to Mike Schmidt. Carter caught Charlie Lea's no-hitter on May 10, 1981. In the 1981 All-Star Game, he hit two home runs and won the game's MVP award, becoming the fifth player to hit two home runs in an All-Star Game. In his first postseason that year, he batted .421 with two home runs and six RBIs in the division series against the Phillies, then hit .438 in the NLCS. However, some Expos were unhappy with his unabashed enthusiasm; Andre Dawson felt Carter was "more a glory hound than a team player."

In Their Own Story

The 1986 World Series champion Mets were defined by moments of clutch hitting, and Gary Carter delivered two of the biggest. In Game 5 of the NLCS against the Houston Astros, Carter punched a 12th-inning single to win the game and keep the Mets alive. Then, in Game 6 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, with the Mets down to their final strike in the 10th inning, Carter sparked the legendary comeback with a single. He scored the first of three Mets runs on a single by Ray Knight. Earlier in that game, he lifted an eighth-inning sacrifice fly that tied the game. In Game Four of that series, Carter launched two home runs over Fenway Park's Green Monster. He is the only player to hit two home runs in both an All-Star Game (1981) and a World Series game. Carter batted .276 with nine RBIs in his first World Series and finished third on the NL MVP ballot in 1986.

Reader's Guide

Over a 19-year major league career, Carter was an 11-time All-Star, won three Gold Glove Awards and five Silver Slugger Awards. He played in 2,296 games, accumulating 2,092 hits in 7,971 at bats for a .262 career batting average, along with 324 home runs, 1,225 runs batted in and a .335 on-base percentage. He hit 307 home runs as a catcher. In 1984, Carter hit the decisive home run in the All-Star Game, earning his second All-Star Game MVP award. That season, his 106 RBIs led the NL, and his 159 games played, .294 batting average, 175 hits and 290 total bases were personal highs. After the 1984 season, the Expos traded him to the Mets for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham and Floyd Youmans. In his first game with New York on April 9, 1985, Carter hit a tenth-inning walk-off home run. He hit a career-high 32 home runs and drove in 100 runs that season. In 1988, Carter was named co-captain of the Mets with Keith Hernandez. He ended that season with 10,360 career putouts as a catcher, breaking the career mark of Bill Freehan (9,941). After leaving the major leagues, Carter coached baseball at the college and minor-league levels.

Did You Know?

• Carter won the seven-year-old category of the first national Punt, Pass, and Kick skills competition in 1961.
• He signed a letter of intent to play football for the UCLA Bruins as a quarterback before signing with the Expos.
• Carter caught Charlie Lea's no-hitter on May 10, 1981.
• Carter is one of several players to hit two home runs in both an All-Star Game (1981) and a World Series game (1986).
• Carter broke Bill Freehan's career record for putouts as a catcher, finishing with 10,360.