Everything I was, physically and mentally, that's what I put on that field.

On September 15 1969 Carlton struck out 19 New York Mets while losing to the Mets 4–3 setting the all-time modern-day record at that time for strikeouts in a nine-inning game. One of his most remarkable records was accounting for nearly half (46%) of his team's wins when he won 27 games for the last-place (59-97) 1972 Phillies.

He pitched from 1965 to 1988 for six different teams in his career but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.