| 32nd | Top Oklahoma City area citizens |
| Joe Carter | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born:
March 7, 1960 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 30, 1983 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1998 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .259 |
| Home runs | 396 |
| Runs batted in | 1,445 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Joseph Christopher Carter (born March 7, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1983 to 1998, most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series, with the Toronto Blue Jays trailing 6–5 to the Philadelphia Phillies, just two outs away from a seventh game.
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Joe Carter attended Wichita State University, leaving after his junior year. He was named the Sporting News magazine's College Player of the Year in 1981 [1] In the 1981 draft, the Cubs chose him with the second pick of the first round.[2]
Carter first reached the majors in 1983 with the Chicago Cubs,[6] but was then traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he blossomed into a star. Carter emerged as a prolific power hitter, hitting as many as 35 home runs in a season and regularly driving in 100 or more runs. He usually hit a similar amount of doubles as he did homers, and would get respectable numbers of triples in many years, as well. He was also a very good baserunner, stealing 20-30 bases a year with a high rate of success. However, he was not considered a good defensive outfielder, and actually spent an entire season dividing his time between first base and DH, without a single inning in the outfield. The Indians publicly criticized his defense and low batting average after he left.
After the 1989 season, Carter was traded to the San Diego Padres for prospects Sandy Alomar, Jr., Carlos Baerga, and Chris James. Although he continued to drive in runs, he also continued to have defensive problems. The Padres subsequently dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Roberto Alomar in exchange for star players Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández.
Carter's overall game improved dramatically in 1991, helping the Toronto Blue Jays win the division title and hitting the game-winning single that clinched the AL East Championship. In 1992, he helped the Jays win their first World Series championship, the first ever won by a Canadian-based team. Carter hit two home runs and recorded the final out of the Series, taking a throw to first base from reliever Mike Timlin to nab Otis Nixon of the Atlanta Braves.
In 1993, the Blue Jays reached the World Series again, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 6, with the Blue Jays leading three games to two, Carter came to bat with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Blue Jays trailing 6–5 and Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base. On a 2–2 count, Carter hit a three-run walk-off home run off Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams (against whom he was 0–4 career) to win the World Series, only the second time a Series has ended with a home run (the other being in 1960, when Bill Mazeroski did it), and the only time the home run has been hit by a player whose team was losing. Upon hitting the home run, Carter went into a hysteria, jumping up and down many times most notably rounding first base, where his helmet came off from the dancing. Tom Cheek, radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays at the time, then went on to say "Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!"
Carter continued to play for the Blue Jays until 1997, and led the Blue Jays in home runs and RBIs in 1994 and 1995.
He became a free agent and in 1998 played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants before retiring. Carter ended his career by popping out to end the game in a one game playoff against the Chicago Cubs.[1]
Carter was named to five All-Star teams. In his career he hit 396 home runs and drove in 1445 RBI. He drove in 100 runs in a season ten times, including the 1994 year, which was cut short due to the strike that happened about 110 games into the year. He was the first player to record 100 RBI for three different teams in three consecutive seasons.[7] In 1993, while a Toronto Blue Jay, Joe set an American League record when he hit 3 home runs in a game for the fifth time in his career. (The record was tied 10 years later by another Blue Jay - Carlos Delgado.)
From 1999-2000 Carter served as announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays on CTV Sportsnet, leaving to work for the Cubs. From 2001–2002 Carter served as the color commentator, alongside play-by-play man Chip Caray, for the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV. Carter was replaced by the man whom Carter himself replaced, Steve Stone.
Carter was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
In September 2006, Carter was awarded the Major League Baseball Hometown Heroes Award as the former or current player who best represents the legacy of his franchise's history, as voted by fans.
In 2008, Carter appeared on an episode of Pros vs. Joes.
On August 7, 2009, Carter - along with many of his 1992 & 1993 Toronto Blue Jay World Series alumni teammates, attended a reunion/pre-game ceremony at the Rogers Centre (formerly known as Skydome). The event was organized by Carter himself and included three dozen players, coaches and trainers from the 1992 and 1993 World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jay roster.[8]
| Preceded by Don Mattingly |
American League
RBI Champion 1986 |
Succeeded by George Bell |
| Preceded by Rubén Sierra Chris Hoiles |
American League Player of the
Month June 1991 April 1994 |
Succeeded by Robin Ventura Frank Thomas |
| Preceded by Steve Stone |
Chicago Cubs Television
Color Commentator 2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Steve Stone |
| Preceded by Otis Nixon |
Last hitter of the World Series (home run) 1993 |
Succeeded by No World Series (1994 baseball strike) |
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   | Statistics at ''Baseball-Reference'' - Joe Carter Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com |
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