Editing Steve Carlton (section)

== Arrival in Philadelphia ==

Steven Norman Carlton was born on December 22, 1944, in Miami, Florida, beginning his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals. A contract dispute following his breakout 1971 season led the Cardinals to trade him to Philadelphia for Rick Wise, a transaction that ranks among the most lopsided in baseball history. The trade brought to Philadelphia a pitcher entering his prime who would define the franchise's pitching for the next fifteen years.<ref name="westcott">{{cite book |last=Westcott |first=Rich |title=The Phillies Encyclopedia |year=2010 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

His first Philadelphia season, 1972, announced his abilities with performances that individual players rarely achieve. The 27 wins accounted for 45.8 percent of his team's total victories, a proportion unmatched in modern baseball. His 1.97 ERA, 310 strikeouts, and Cy Young Award confirmed that the trade had brought Philadelphia one of baseball's most valuable players. The season demonstrated that great pitching could transcend team limitations, Carlton winning games that lesser talents could not have salvaged.<ref name="jordan"/>

The slider he developed became baseball's most devastating pitch, its late break making it nearly impossible to hit even when batters expected it. Tim McCarver, his longtime catcher, guided Carlton's development of the pitch while providing the receiving skills that maximized its effectiveness. The pitcher-catcher partnership, one of baseball's most productive, demonstrated how collaboration could enhance individual talents that were already extraordinary.<ref name="westcott"/>