Joe Carter

Forever remembered for his World Series-winning home run in 1993, Joe Carter remains one of the most popular players in Toronto Blue Jays history. Growing up in Oklahoma City, Carter excelled at baseball, basketball, football and track in high school, before being named The Sporting News College Baseball Player of the Year in 1981 while at Wichita State University. His performance would impress the Chicago Cubs, who selected him second overall in the 1981 amateur draft.

After being swapped to the Cleveland Indians in 1984, Carter would evolve into one of baseball’s best all-around players, topping the majors in RBIs in 1986 with 121 – his first of 10, 100-RBI seasons. When he clubbed 32 homers and swiped 31 bases the following campaign, he became The Tribe’s first 30-30 man. After two more seasons in Cleveland, he was traded to San Diego, where he would knock in 115 runs, before being dealt to the Blue Jays with Roberto Alomar for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez in December 1990.

In seven seasons with Toronto (1991 to 1997), Carter was selected to five all-star teams and belted more than 20 home runs in each year. His 203 homers are the second-most by a Blue Jay, while his 736 RBIs rank him third on the club’s all-time list. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner’s World Series-winning homer off Mitch Williams on October 23, 1993 is widely recognized as the greatest moment in Canadian baseball history. Carter’s historic long ball marked only the second time the Fall Classic has been won with a home run (Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski clubbed the other in 1960). For his efforts, Carter was named the Blue Jays Player of the Year in 1994 and was honoured on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 1999. In 16 big league seasons, Carter hit .259 with 396 home runs, 1,445 RBIs and 231 stolen bases. In 2015 Joe worked in the front office with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Career Major League Statistics

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