The Fan Hub

Former catcher and Hall of Famer Gary Carter, who was considered the best catcher in baseball for most of the 1980s, died on Thursday afternoon at the age of 57 after losing nearly a year-long battle with brain cancer. Carter spent the 12 of his 19 seasons with the Montreal Expos, but was best known for his role as one of the captains of the New York Mets during his 5-year stint in New York from 1985-89. He helped lead the team to a World Series title in 1986, after his two-out single in Game 6 of the World Series started the famous 10th inning rally in which the Mets overcame a two-run deficit to force a Game 7.

Carter was an 11-time All-Star and finished in the top-10 in the MVP voting four times, including a third place finish during the Mets’ championship season. After retiring, he was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2003, and later managed at the Rookie and A levels in the Mets farm system. He was also known throughout his career and retirement as one of the brightest personalities in baseball, always making time for fans and being a leader in the clubhouse. As Tom Verducci of SI writes, “Try as I might as a witness to his five years in New York as a catcher for the Mets, I cannot conjure a single image of Gary Carter with anything but a smile on his face.”