Rico Carty

Played For
Milwaukee Braves (1963-1965)
Atlanta Braves (1966-1972)
Texas Rangers (1973)
Chicago Cubs (1973)
Oakland Athletics (1973)
Cleveland Indians (1974-1977)
Toronto Blue Jays (1978)
Oakland Athletics (1978)
Toronto Blue Jays (1979)

Verrry Superstitious
For as long as the game has been played, baseball players have been prone to superstition. With Rico Carty it was often an obsession. Carty believed in using the same socks if he had a good game at the plate, either wearing them dirty game-after-game, or demanding that he get the same pair returned to him after it went into the wash with the others. Carty didn't seem to have any problems with stepping on the foul lines (as many players with superstitions often do), but he was careful to always greet the homeplate umpire the first time he came to the plate. He felt that if he failed to acknowledge the ump, it was poor luck. Carty was also suspicious: he guarded his cadre of bats closely, and only lent them out to teammates in rare instances. He didn't even like anyone else using his model of bat. An old-time superstition was the fear of pebbles or scraps of paper on the field, and Carty inherited that, though he wasn't obsesive about it later in his career. Off the field, he had his share of fears as well. In his book, Ball Four, Jim Bouton wrote: "[Carty] doesn't trust banks. He also doesn't trust the clubhouse valuables box. So that big lump you see in his back pocket during baseball games is his wallet."

Born
Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty was born on September 1, 1939, in San Pedro de Macoris

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  OF

Primary Team:  CLE

Major League Debut
September 15, 1963

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1963
Pete Rose
Rusty Staub
Joe Morgan
Willie Horton
Jose Cardenal
Jimmy Wynn
Dick Allen
Tommy John
Mickey Lolich

Nicknames
Beeg Mon

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1985 BBWAA 1 .3%

Post-Season Appearances
1969 National League Championship Series

Hitting Streaks
31 games (1970)
18 games (1972)
17 games (1966)
16 games (1969)

All-Star Selections
1970 NL

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