Carter, now 56 and living in Leawood, Kan., is of course proud to be associated with that truly awesome outcome. But this October, on the precipice of the American League Championship Series that begins Friday night (8 p.m. ET, TBS and Sportsnet) at Progressive Field, we can actually associate him with something other than that singular swing.
We can associate him with the Blue Jays' ALCS opponent.
The Indians provided Carter's coming-of-age. Cleveland was the place where Carter, having arrived in the 1984 trade that sent Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs, found his big league footing with the opportunity afforded him by manager Pat Corrales and first asserted himself as a star.