Lefty pitcher Steve Carlton was a presence in Major League baseball for more than 20 years and played an important role on six teams throughout his career.  Carlton was a 10 time All Star, four time Cy Young Award Winner and a two time World Series Champion.  Among his numerous records, Carlton made strike out history in 1969.

On this day, September 15th, in  1969, Steve Carlton struck out 19 New York Mets batters. Three MLB pitchers had previously shared the single-game strikeout record with 18, but Carlton took sole possession of the record after his spectacular game.

Carlton ended his career in 1988 with 4,136 total strikeouts and a 329-244 record.  Carlton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 and is considered one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in professional baseball history.