Joe Carter

By Brad Berreman
Love of Sports Correspondent

Can you name the first player in Cleveland Indians history to have a 30-30 season with 32 HRs and 31 SBs in 1987?

If you said Joe Carter, you must be an Indians fan. Or just a well versed baseball fan.

Carter was the first, followed a mere 21 years later by Grady Sizemore, who became the second to do so this past season.

Carter played in the major leagues from 1983-98 and was well traveled, playing for the Chicago Cubs (1983), Cleveland Indians (1984-89), San Diego Padres (1990), Toronto Blue Jays (1991-97), Baltimore Orioles (1998) and San Francisco Giants (1998).

He had 396 home runs and 1,445 RBI in his major league career, was a five-time All-Star and had 100 or more RBI seven times. He was the first, and perhaps only, player to get 100 or more RBI three consecutive seasons for three different teams from 1989-91.

But the most memorable moment of Carter’s career had to be Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. He came up against Phillies’ closer Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams with Philadelphia leading 6-5 with two Blue Jays on base and one out in the bottom of the ninth.

Carter hit a three-run home run to end the game and the Series, and he became the second player (Bill Mazeroski, 1960) to win a World Series with a walk-off homer.

After retirement, Carter worked as a TV broadcaster for the Blue Jays from 1999-00 and then for the Cubs from 2001-02. He’s been elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, but election to the MLB Hall of Fame’s eluded him thus far.

So, in recognition of a World Series hero who had a solid career, here’s some Old School Love to Joe Carter!