First of all, I am 40 years old so my time goes back to the late 70’s on.  I would rank Steve Carlton right behind Randy Johnson if I were to rank the best lefty starting pitchers that my two eyes have seen.  He was a lot like the Big Unit as he had a good fastball and a outstanding slider.  Carlton pitched 24 seasons in his major league career appearing in 741 games (709 starts) in which he was 329-244, with 2 saves, a 3.22 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Carlton won 4 Cy Young Awards with the Phillies in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982.  But, Carlton was at his best in 1972.  That was the year he won his first Cy Young Award with the Phillies.  He did it by starting 41 games in which he was 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  He threw a stunning 30 complete games that season including 8 that were shutouts.  The most amazing thing about Carlton’s 1972 season was just how bad his team (the Phillies) were that year as they finished up with a 59-97 record!  Carlton led the majors in wins three times (the N.L. 4 times) and he led the N.L. in strikeouts 5 times.  Carlton is #63 all-time in major league history in games pitched (741), #6 in games started (709), #11 in wins (324), #75 in complete games (254), tied for 14th in shutouts (55), #9 in innings pitched (5,217 1/3) and he is #4 in strikeouts (4,136).  Carlton was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.