RetroSimba

In the Year of the Pitcher, Steve Carlton showed he could hit as well as pitch for the Cardinals.

On June 13, 1968, Carlton hit his first home run in the major leagues, and allowed one run in eight innings, leading the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Braves at Atlanta.

Carlton’s home run was the first by a Cardinals pitcher since Bob Gibson hit one against Jim Lonborg of the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series and the first by a St. Louis pitcher in the regular season since Larry Jaster accomplished the feat on Sept. 23, 1966, against Larry Jackson of the Phillies.

Mistake pitch

The 1968 season became known as the Year of the Pitcher because a mere six major-league players batted .300 or better and the sport was dominated by the likes of Gibson (1.12 ERA, 13 shutouts, 268 strikeouts), the Giants’ Juan Marichal (26 wins, 30 complete games), the Tigers’ Denny McLain (31 wins, 28 complete games) and the Indians’ Luis Tiant (1.60 ERA, nine shutouts).

Carlton, 23, was developing into a premier pitcher. The left-hander would finish the 1968 season with a 13-11 record, 2.99 ERA and five shutouts.

He also was showing an ability to handle the bat.

Carlton, a left-handed batter, had three hits in his last three at-bats entering his start against the Braves and his batting average was .233.

In the third inning, in his first at-bat of the game, Carlton hit an 0-and-2 fastball from Braves starter Ken Johnson over the wall in right-center.

“The pitch was right down the middle with nothing on it,” Johnson said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I tried to go inside with that pitch and I figured on coming back with a knuckleball. Carlton hit a pitch that my two sons, both pitchers, wouldn’t make in Little League.”

Carlton said he never hit a home run in the minor leagues, but hit some in winter league games.

Knuckle under

Carlton’s home run gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. The Braves tied the score in the sixth on Joe Torre’s RBI-single with two outs.

Carlton pitched eight innings, allowing four singles and a walk and striking out seven, and departed with the score tied at 1-1.

In the 12th inning, shortstop Dick Schofield led off for the Cardinals with a home run against Phil Niekro. “A lousy, lousy knuckler,” Niekro told the Atlanta Constitution.

Said Schofield: “It wasn’t one of Niekro’s better knucklers because nobody hits those.”

The home run was Schofield’s 17th in 16 major-league seasons and his only one in 1968.

Phil Gagliano, who batted after Schofield, walked and scored on Lou Brock’s double, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 3-1.

In the Braves’ half of the 12th, Wayne Granger struck out Torre, walked Deron Johnson and yielded a single to Tommie Aaron. Hal Gilson relieved and retired Clete Boyer and Marty Martinez on groundouts, stranding the runners and sealing the win. Boxscore

Power pitchers

Carlton hit two more home runs for the Cardinals _ on July 27, 1968, against the Pirates’ Bob Moose and on Sept. 1, 1969, against the Astros’ Don Wilson _ before he was traded to the Phillies after the 1971 season.

Carlton hit 13 regular-season home runs in his major-league career and one in the postseason. In Game 3 of the 1978 National League Championship Series, Carlton hit a three-run home run against the Dodgers’ Don Sutton.

Bob Gibson holds the Cardinals record for regular-season career home runs by a pitcher, with 24. Gibson also holds the club single-season mark for regular-season home runs by a pitcher, with five.

The all-time major-league leader for regular-season career home runs by a pitcher is Wes Ferrell. He hit 38 in a big-league career from 1927-41 with the Indians, Red Sox, Senators, Yankees, Dodgers and Braves.

After Ferrell, the next best in regular-season career home runs by a pitcher are Bob Lemon (37) and Warren Spahn (35).