RetroSimba

In 1968, Steve Carlton was a National League all-star and ranked second among the Cardinals in shutouts and strikeouts, but manager Red Schoendienst didn’t start him during the World Series against the Tigers.

Schoendienst gave starts in Games 1, 4 and 7 to Bob Gibson and started Nelson Briles in Games 2 and 5 and Ray Washburn in Games 3 and 6.

Carlton, who pitched well in a start for the Cardinals against the Red Sox in the 1967 World Series, was used as a reliever in the 1968 World Series, even though he’d made only one relief appearance during the season.

Decades later, it’s hard to imagine how a team could have future Hall of Famers Gibson and Carlton in the rotation and not utilize both as starters in a seven-game World Series. The Tigers won four of those games, earning the championship, and naturally one wonders whether the outcome would have been different if Carlton had gotten a start.

After a sensational first half of the 1968 season, Carlton struggled in September and Schoendienst wasn’t comfortable starting him in October, but Briles also slumped late in the season and the Cardinals lost both of his World Series starts.

Ups and downs

Carlton, 23, won seven of his first eight decisions for the 1968 Cardinals, got selected to the all-star team and pitched a scoreless inning for the National League in its 1-0 victory over the American League Boxscore

Carlton and Larry Jaster were the left-handers in a Cardinals rotation with Gibson, Briles and Washburn. The starting pitching in 1968 propelled the Cardinals on a path to a second consecutive league championship.

At times, Carlton was dominant, pitching a three-hitter against the Phillies on May 24 and a one-hitter versus the Cubs on June 19.

After pitching a two-hitter against the Phillies on Aug. 1, Carlton had a season record of 11-5 with a 2.73 ERA, but then he began to lose command of the strike zone and lost four decisions in a row.

“It’s not that Steve is walking too many,” Schoendienst said to The Sporting News. “He’s been getting behind (in the count) on too many batters.”

Decision time

After the Cardinals clinched the pennant in Carlton’s win over the Astros on Sept. 15, Schoendienst and pitching coach Billy Muffett used the last two weeks of the season to determine the starters for the World Series. Gibson, who had won 15 in a row and would finish with a 1.12 ERA, was a given. So, too, was Briles, who would finish with 19 wins. The candidates for the No. 3 World Series starter were Carlton and Washburn.

On Sept. 18, 1968, Washburn significantly helped his case by pitching a no-hitter against the Giants. Two days later, on Sept. 20, Carlton started against the Dodgers, was unable to locate either his fastball or his curve, gave up four runs and seven hits and was lifted after 1.2 innings.

“Steve Carlton apparently removed all doubt as to whether Ray Washburn would start the third game of the World Series,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch declared. “Even before Carlton failed, manager Red Schoendienst said, ‘It looks like it will be Washburn in the third game.’ ” Boxscore

Though Washurn was 2-3 in September, his ERA for the month in six starts was 2.08 and he finished the season at 14-8 with a 2.26 ERA.

Carlton was 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA in five September starts, allowing 39 hits in 28.1 innings, and finished the season at 13-11, five shutouts, 162 strikeouts and a 2.99 ERA. As a starter, Carlton was 13-10 with a 2.98 ERA. In his last start of the season, Carlton pitched five scoreless innings before Schoendienst decided to give his relievers some work.

Though Briles finished the season 19-11 with a 2.81 ERA, he was 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA in five September starts, allowing 44 hits in 34.2 innings. Briles yielded 13 earned runs over his last 14.2 innings.

Pitching problems

A year earlier, Briles and Carlton each got a start in the 1967 World Series and each pitched well. Briles started Game 3, yielded seven hits and two runs in nine innings and got the win. Carlton started Game 5, yielded three hits and one run in six innings and took the loss in a 3-1 Red Sox victory. Boxscore

In 1968, after Gibson started Game 1, struck out 17 and shut out the Tigers, Briles started Game 2 and gave up four runs in five innings.

Carlton, making his first relief appearance since June 9, relieved Briles in the sixth with Willie Horton on first, none out and the Tigers ahead, 3-0. Jim Northrup hit the first pitch from Carlton for a single, moving Horton to second. After Bill Freehan popped out, Don Wert walked, loading the bases. Carlton struck out Mickey Lolich for the second out, but Dick McAuliffe followed with a two-run single, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. They won, 8-1. Boxscore

“If Schoendienst was thinking about giving Steve Carlton a shot at a starting assignment, he probably was discouraged by the left-hander’s showing in relief of Briles,” the Post-Dispatch offered.

Washburn won Game 3 and Gibson won Game 4, putting the Cardinals a victory away from clinching the championship. Schoendienst started Briles instead of Carlton in Game 5. When Briles was relieved by Joe Hoerner with one out and one on in the seventh, the Cardinals led, 3-2, but Hoerner allowed all four batters he faced to reach base and the Tigers rallied for a 5-3 triumph. Boxscore

In Game 6, Washburn started and gave up five runs in two innings. Jaster relieved and yielded three runs without recording an out. The Tigers went on to a 13-1 victory. Carlton pitched three innings and allowed one run, a home run by fellow future Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Boxscore

“If Cardinals fans did any second-guessing of manager Red Schoendienst, it involved his choice of relievers _ Larry Jaster instead of Steve Carlton in the Tigers’ third inning,” The Sporting News reported.

The Tigers beat Gibson in Game 7 and won a World Series title for the first time since 1945.