FoundSF

Historical Essay

by Matt Sieger

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter passed away in 2012 at age 57 from brain cancer. My interview with him for this article took place in 1990 at Candlestick Park when he was a San Francisco Giant.

Gary Carter

photo courtesy of @S.F. Giants

It was the 1986 World Series-the New York Mets versus the Boston Red Sox-and Gary Carter, catcher for the Mets, played a key role. In game four, he hit two home runs to tie the Series at two games each. But his biggest contribution came in the tenth inning of game six in one of the most exciting comebacks in World Series history.

The Mets trailed in the Series, three games to two. They were losing 5-3 as they batted in the last of the tenth. With two outs and nobody on base, Carter came to the plate. The Red Sox were one out away from winning the World Series.

"I felt that God was going to bat with me," Carter said of that moment "I felt so confident."

He lined a base hit into left field. The next two Mets also got hits. Then, after a passed ball allowed the tying run to score, Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball that went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, giving the Mets a 6-5 victory. New York went on to win game seven and become the World Series champions.

During the post-game celebration in the Mets clubhouse, Bob Costas of NBC called Carter to the microphone for an interview.

"They had me up on the platform," Carter remembers, "and he ICostas] said, 'Well, Gary, what do you think about all this?' And I said, 'Well, first of all, I want to give all the glory and praise to Jesus.' "

Carter's remark caught Costas off guard and probably surprised many in the national television audience as well.

But this 11-time All-Star catcher has never held back; he is quick to give the credit for his success on the ball field and in life to his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

From 1990-2021, Carter held the National League for most games caught. Twice named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star game, he also won the Gold Glove award three times. Nicknamed "The Kid" for his enthusiasm for the game of baseball, Carter is seldom at a loss for words. He is also rarely too busy to sign an autograph or to talk with a young fan.

Carter lost his mother to leukemia when he was 12 years old and said he will always have a place in his heart for any child who has lost a parent His faith in God actually arose out of the doubts that he experienced after his mother's death.

"We were a church-going family," Carter said, "and we had known the Lord as a loving God. I didn't understand why the Lord would take someone away as dear as Mom at age 37, who was loved by her family. Why would this tragedy happen?”

With these questions in the back of his mind, Carter immersed himself in sports during his teenage years. He was captain of the baseball, basketball 'and football teams as a junior and senior at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton, California. He also excelled as a student, graduating in the top 50 of a class of 550.

A high school All American quarterback as a sophomore and junior, Carter signed a letter of intent to play football at UCLA. But when he tore the ligaments in his right knee while playing football his senior year, he decided instead to sign a professional baseball contract with the Montreal Expos.

In 1973 Carter went to his first major league spring training camp, where he was assigned to room with another catcher, John Boccabella.

"He was twice my age," Carter said. "And I figured I could learn a lot from him. He taught me a ton about baseball. But what really stood out to me was how he lived his life."

They became good friends, and Carter talked with him about losing his mother. BoccabeJla gave him Bible verses to read and shared with him that the secret of the peace he experienced was a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Soon after getting to know Boccabella, Carter asked Christ into his life and finally came to terms with his mother's death.

"Since that day," Carter said, "every­thing in my life has taken on new meaning. I have learned I don't have to run away from my problems, because God gives me the power to face up to them. The best decision I ever made was asking Christ into my life."

After ten highly productive seasons with the Montreal Expos, Carter was traded to the New York Mets in 1985. He drove in 100 or more runs his first two seasons with the Mets, and his inspired play helped lead the Mets into the World Series against the Red Sox in 1986. Carter said that it's not unusual for him to feel that God is with him as he goes to bat In fact, he enjoys the pressure situations.

"I just pray in my heart about it," he says, "then I go up there, and I feel like He gives me something extra."

The San Francisco Giants signed him prior to the 1990 season, and he shared the catching duties most of the season with Terry Kennedy. He hit a respectable .254 and also belted nine home runs in less than 250 at-bats.

Carter believes that a ballplayer's faith should make a difference in his on-the-field performance.

"As athletes, we're blessed with the ability to play the game," he said. "If you're able to look in the mirror and say, 'Hey, I gave it my very best,' it's between you and God. And if you're shortchanging yourself, you're the one to blame. So I've always taken that out on the field every day, and it's made me a better ballplayer. Because I don't ever try to underachieve. I always try to overachieve."

This article, parts of which have been contemporized, first appeared in Teen Quest, November 1991.

Matt Sieger, now retired, is a former sports reporter and columnist for The Vacaville Reporter. He is the author of The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978.