PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesdya announced Joe Carter was named special assistant to the general manager.
Carter and Sr. Vice President & General Manager Dave Stewart were teammates on the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993-94 and part of the 1993 World Series Championship team. In Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, with the Blue Jays leading the series 3-2, Carter hit a walk-off, three-run home run off Mitch Williams in the ninth inning to give the Blue Jays their second straight title. Toronto's starting pitcher for Game 6 was Stewart, who worked six innings. Carter's home run was the second walk-off homer in a World Series and the first time a home run has been hit by a player whose team was trailing in the bottom of the ninth in a potential championship clinching game.
Carter, 54, was a two-time World Champion (1992-93), five-time All-Star (1991-94, '96) and two-time Silver Slugger (1991-92) over the course of his 16-year Major League career. He was part of the Blue Jays' clubs that made three straight postseason appearances from 1991-93 and won back-to-back World Series in 1992-93. He had 12 seasons with 25-plus home runs and 10 campaigns with 100-plus RBI, highlighted by an AL-best 121 RBI in 1986 as well as becoming the first player to record at least 100 RBI with three different teams in three straight seasons (Cleveland Indians 1989, San Diego Padres 1990, Blue Jays 1991).
In the Blue Jays trio of postseasons from 1991-93, Carter was involved in the final play that clinched the championship on 4 occasions: 1991 American League East division championship (game-winning single), 1992 World Series (caught the final out at first base), 1993 AL Championship Series (caught the final out in right field) and 1993 World Series (walk-off, 3-run homer in Game 6).
The outfielder/infielder/designated hitter played for the Chicago Cubs (1983), Indians (1984-89), Padres (1990), Blue Jays (1991-97), Baltimore Orioles (1998) and San Francisco Giants (1998). In 2,189 career games, he hit .259 with 432 doubles, 53 triples, 396 home runs and 1,445 RBI.
Carter was selected by the Cubs with the second pick of the first round in the 1981 amateur draft out of Wichita State University. He was named The Sporting News College Player of the Year as a junior in 1981.
Carter was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. He is still active in the Toronto community with his annual Joe Carter Classic Golf Tournament, which raised more than $750,000.
