Philadelphia Phillies History on December 22

  • December 22, 2024 – The Phillies made a significant offseason splash by acquiring left-handed starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo and minor league catcher Paul McIntosh from the Miami Marlins in exchange for two of Philadelphia’s top prospects, shortstop Starlyn Caba (their No. 4 prospect) and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. The trade was finalized on this date after Luzardo, who had injury issues in the past, passed his physical with the Phillies.

Phillies personnel born on December 22

  • Steve Carlton (born December 22, 1944) One of the greatest pitchers not just in Phillies history, but in the history of baseball. A Hall of Famer, Carlton won four Cy Young Awards, played for the Phillies from 1972 to 1986, and was a key part of the 1980 World Series championship rotation.
  • Mike Jackson (born December 22, 1964) Right-handed relief pitcher drafted and signed by the Phillies (debuting with them in 1986); he pitched for Philadelphia in 1986–87 before a long MLB career as a reliever and setup man, recording over 1,000 career games in 17 seasons.
  • Glenn Wilson (born December 22, 1958) Played outfield for the Phillies from 1984-1987 and was selected to the 1985 National League All-Star team while with Philadelphia.
  • Hughie Miller (born December 22, 1886) Appeared in one game for the Phillies in 1911 as a first baseman and later served in World War I. He played 139 games with the St. Louis Terriers in 1914 and 1915.
  • Tom Underwood (born December 22, 1953) Debuted with the Phillies in 1974 and spent four seasons in Philadelphia before being dealt to St. Louis in 1977 along with Rick Bosetti and Dane Iorg for Bake McBride and Steve Waterbury.
  • Lonnie Smith (born December 22, 1955) Speedy outfielder who debuted with the Phillies in 1978 after being drafted by the organization. Was traded to St. Louis in a three-team trade following the 1981 season that brought catcher Bo Diaz to Philadelphia. Smith played 17 seasons and stole 370 bases.

A DEEPER DIVE… Steve Carlton’s 1972 Season: A One-Man Rotation

Steve Carlton’s 1972 season stands as one of the most astonishing individual pitching performances in baseball history, made even more remarkable by the circumstances surrounding it. That year, Carlton didn’t just pitch well for the Phillies; he carried the franchise on his back.

Carlton arrived in Philadelphia just before the 1972 season in what was viewed at the time as a fairly modest trade. The Phillies acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Rick Wise, a respected but unspectacular right-hander. The Cardinals were frustrated with Carlton’s contract demands, and Phillies general manager John Quinn saw an opportunity. Carlton, still just 27 years old, believed he was a frontline ace and wanted to be paid like one. Philadelphia took the gamble, and it paid off almost immediately.

What followed in 1972 was a season that defies context. Carlton finished the year with a 27–10 record, a 1.97 ERA, and 310 strikeouts while throwing 346 and one-third innings. He completed 30 games, shut out six opponents, and won the National League Cy Young Award unanimously. Those raw numbers are impressive on their own, but the larger story is the team behind him.

The 1972 Phillies were dreadful. They finished the season with a 59–97 record, one of the worst in the National League. Outside of Carlton, the starting rotation struggled badly. The team scored just 3.1 runs per game, last in the league, and featured a lineup heavy on aging veterans and unproven youngsters. Defensive support was inconsistent, and the bullpen was thin. Carlton’s 27 victories accounted for nearly half of the team’s total wins, a feat that has never been matched in the modern era. When Carlton didn’t pitch, the Phillies went 32–87.

Many of Carlton’s wins were masterpieces born of necessity. He routinely had to be perfect, knowing one mistake could cost him the game. Run support was so scarce that he won games by scores of 1–0, 2–1, and 3–2 with alarming regularity. His dominance was built on an explosive fastball and one of the most devastating sliders baseball had ever seen. Hitters knew it was coming and still couldn’t do much with it.

Behind that dominance was an intense and unconventional approach to preparation. Carlton was obsessive about conditioning. He ran long distances regularly, even during the season, believing endurance was the key to late-game dominance. He threw more between starts than most pitchers of his era and treated fielding practice as seriously as bullpen sessions. Carlton also believed in throwing with intent rather than simply logging innings, trusting his mechanics and conditioning to protect his arm. Teammates often remarked that he seemed to live in his own competitive world, entirely locked into his craft.

That season established Carlton not only as a star, but as the face of the franchise. Over the next decade and a half, he became synonymous with Phillies baseball. He went on to win three more Cy Young Awards with Philadelphia, surpass 4,000 career strikeouts, and serve as the ace of the 1980 World Series championship team. Through good teams and bad, Carlton was the constant.

His Phillies career ended quietly, almost uncomfortably so. In 1986, at age 41, Carlton struggled early in the season and was released in June, just shy of reaching 4,000 strikeouts in a Phillies uniform. He would briefly return in 1987 for a short, symbolic stint before finishing his career elsewhere, but his prime years were long past. The ending lacked the grandeur his career deserved, yet it didn’t diminish his legacy.

The 1972 season remains the clearest snapshot of Carlton at his peak. It was a year when talent, toughness, preparation, and stubborn competitiveness converged. On a team that offered little help, Steve Carlton produced one of the greatest pitching seasons the game has ever seen, and in doing so, cemented his place as one of the defining figures in Phillies history.

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