Rare Photos of Gary Carter

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 18, 2012

Rare Photos of Gary Carter

Gary Carter

The Hall of Fame catcher, who was diagnosed last May with a malignant brain tumor, died at age 57 on Feb. 16, 2012. In this gallery, SI.com offers an appreciation of his career and passion for the game: Carter holds up a Mets hat and an Expos hat during the opening ceremonies at the 2008 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. He played 12 of his 19 seasons with the Expos and five with the Mets.

Gary Carter and the San Diego Chicken

The Padres' mascot pretends to be an umpire calling a strike as Carter looks on at the second of his 11 career All-Star game appearances.

Gary Carter, Steve Rogers and Warren Cromartie

Carter shakes hands with pitcher Steve Rogers after a victory in September.

Charlie Lea and Gary Carter

Carter congratulates pitcher Charlie Lea after he threw the third no-hitter in Expos' history in a 4-0 win over San Francisco in the second game of a doubleheader on May 10.

Gary Carter and Ozzie Smith

Carter tags out Smith on a play at the plate. The shortstop was inducted into the Hall of Fame one year before Carter.

Gary Carter

The catcher dons his equipment and poses for a photo near home plate.

Gary Carter

The catcher is mobbed by fans prior to a game with Pittsburgh on June 24. The fan favorite became the first player who spent most of his career with Montreal to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Gary Carter

Carter watches the flight of the ball after an at-bat at Wrigley Field. He hit .270 with 17 home runs during the 1983 season.

Andre Dawson, Gary Carter and Tim Raines

The Expos stars pose for a photo. Dawson and Carter are both Hall of Famers, and Raines was a seven-time All-Star. But the Expos finished the 1984 season 78-83.

Gary Carter and Lance Parrish

The pitch never made it to Parrish behind the plate, because Carter connected on a second-inning home run at the 1984 All-Star game to give the National League a 2-1 lead.

Gary Carter and Ozzie Smith

The Cardinals shortstop gives Carter a high-five after his home run at the All-Star game.

Gary Carter

Carter speaks about his decision to be traded to the Mets in December 1984. During his five seasons in New York, Carter hit only .249.

Gary Carter

Carter launches into a headfirst slide during his first season with the Mets. He hit .281 with 32 homers and 100 RBI that year.

Gary Carter

A dirty-covered Carter asks the umpire for time during a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gary Carter

Carter stares at the camera from behind his catcher's mask.

Gary Carter

The Hall of Famer takes a cut against the Cubs on Aug. 6. Carter was 4-for-10 during the doubleheader at Wrigley Field.

Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez

The Mets celebrate a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team finished with a major-league best 108-54 record.

Gary Carter and Billy Hatcher

The catcher holds on to the ball and tags out Hatcher as he tries to score from third on an infield groundball, but Houston won the playoff opener 1-0. The Mets came back to win the series in six games.

Gary Carter and Rich Gedman

Carter reaches for home plate and looks to the umpire for a call after Gedman tried to tag him out during the 1986 World Series.

Gary Carter and Jim Rice

The catcher tags out Rice at home plate during Game 6 of the World Series. The Mets won the game 6-5 in 10 innings to force Game 7.

Gary Carter and Marty Barrett

Carter begins the celebration after Barrett strikes out for the final out of Game 7, an 8-5 victory for New York. The catcher hit .276 with two home runs during the series.

Gary Carter

Carter is lifted into the air as the Mets celebrate their victory.

Gary Carter and wife Sandy

The couple rides in a car traveling down Broadway during the Mets' victory parade.

Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter

The 1979 NL MVP and Carter lift the World Series trophy in front of City Hall as part of the team's celebration. Hernandez hit .310 during the 1986 season.

Gary Carter

The catcher throws to first during a game against the Padres in his final season with the Mets. Carter hit only .183 in his 50 games that year.

Gary Carter

He then spent one season in San Francisco, where he hit .254 with nine home runs in 92 games.

Gary Carter

An upset Carter lies in the base path during his one season in Los Angeles. He hit .246 with six homers in 101 games. He would retire a year later, after one more season with the Expos.

Gary Carter

Carter smiles as he looks at a bronze bust of himself as he is inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame before a game with the Cardinals in August.

Gary Carter

"The Kid" holds a club during the Mellon Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational golf tournament.

Gary Carter

Carter holds his plaque after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He got in on his sixth year of eligibility after receiving 78 percent of the vote.

Keith Hernandez, Tim Teufel, Gary Carter Howard Johnson, Bobby Ojeda, Rusty Staub and Davey Johnson

The former Mets are photographed together on Gary Carter Night at Shea Stadium, two days after the former catcher was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Gary Carter, Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk

Carter is among the four Hall of Fame catchers who join Piazza in a pregame ceremony. Piazza had broken the all-time home run record for catchers the previous month.

Gary Carter

Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi greets Carter during a pre-game ceremony. Andre Dawson was also in attendance as the Canadiens honored greats of the now defunct Expos with a banner featuring the franchise's four retired numbers, including Carter's No. 8.

Jesse Orosco and Gary Carter

To honor the 20th anniversary of the Mets' championship, Orosco tossed out the first pitch to Carter before a game with the Nationals. Orosco was on the mound and Carter was behind the plate during Game 7 of the World Series.

Gary Carter and wife Sandy

The couple sits in the back of a truck during the All-Star game parade down 6th Avenue in New York.

Dwight Gooden and Gary Carter

The former Mets ace and Carter pose for a picture on the pitching mound. After learning of Carter's diagnosis, Gooden tweeted, "To my teammate Gary Carter... I am there for you Kid ...the guys u win championships with..remain ur teammates for life never exmates... Doc."