Wayback: 32 Phorever



July 29th: 1989:  The Phillies retire Steve Carlton's uniform #32 during a pregame ceremony at Veterans Stadium.  Traded to Philadelphia in February 1972 for Rick Wise, "Lefty" became the greatest southpaw pitcher in franchise history, beginning by winning 27 games his first season -- on a club that won just 59 games.  Still, Carlton's arrival marked the beginning of the Phillies revival.  Joined by the home grown stars Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone, the Phillies won their first division title in 1976 and the franchise's first ever World Series championship four years later.

The totals are impressive: 241 victories, with 185 complete games, a 3.09 ERA and 3,031 strikeouts across 499 starts.  And Lefty picked off 144 base runners, by far the most since it became an official statistic (in 1957).

Released by the Phillies in 1986, he ended his career with the Twins two years later.

Steve Carlton would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.  A decade later, this statue was erected by the left field gate of the Phils current home, Citizens Bank Park.



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