Joseph Chris Carter was a Major League Baseball player in the 1980s and 1990s, most famous for hitting a home run to end the 1993 World Series.
Carter first reached the majors in 1983 with the Chicago Cubs but was then traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he blossomed into a star. Carter emerged as a prolific power hitter, hitting as many as 35 home runs in a season and regularly driving in 100 or more RBI. He was also a very good baserunner, stealing 20-30 bases a year with a high rate of success, and a good defensive outfielder.
In 1990 Carter was traded to the San Diego Padres. Although he continued to drive in runs, he struggled in other aspects of his game and did not play well. The Padres subsequently dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Roberto Alomar in exchange for star players Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez.
Carter improved dramatically in 1991, helping the Blue Jays win the division title. In 1992, he helped the Jays win their first World Series championship, the first ever won by a Canadian-based team. Carter himself hit two home runs and made the final out of the Series.
In 1993, the Blue Jays again reached the World Series, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game Six, with the Blue Jays leading three games to two, Carter came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Blue Jays losing 6-5 and Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base. On a 2-2 count, Carter hit a three-run home run off Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams to win the World Series, one of only two times a World Series has ended with a home run (the other being in 1960, when Bill Mazeroski did it.)
Carter continued to play for the Jays until 1997, but his play and the Jays' fortunes declined rapidly. He was released and in 1998 played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants before retiring.
Carter was named to five All-Star teams. In his career he hit 396 home runs and drove in 1,445 RBI. He drove in 100 runs in a season ten times.
