Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter is born

This Day In Baseball

April 8, 1954 Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter was born in Culver City, California in 1954 to Jim Carter, an aircraft worker, and his wife, Inge. Athletic at a young age, Carter – along with four other boys – won the 7-year-old category of the first national Punt, Pass, and Kick skills competition in 1961. He will make his debut September 16, 1974.

Nicknamed the Kid, he is one of the greatest catchers in MLB history. He was a 11X All-Star, won 3 Gold Glove Awards, won 5 Silver Slugger Awards, and was a key member of the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets. Defensively, Carter led NL catchers in putouts 8X, assists and DP 5X each, caught stealing pct. 3X, & fielding pct. twice. His uniform #8 was retired by the Montreal Expos. Gary was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003 (78% on the 6th ballot).

In his 19-year career (1974-1992), Carter had 2,092 hits, 324 HR, 1,225 RBI, .262 BA, .335 OBP, .439 Slg., & .773 OPS.

Carter passed away in 2012 at the age of 57
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