On This Date in Sports September 27, 1992: Gary Cater's Curtain Call

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com

Gary Carter, who returned to the Montreal Expos for his final season, rips a double in the seventh inning, scoring Larry Walker with the game's only run. The Expos defeat the Chicago Cubs 1-0, as the fans at Olympic Stadium give Carter a long standing-ovation in what would be his final at-bat. Gary Carter would end his career with a .262 average, with 324 home runs and 1,225 RBI. He spent 12 of his 19-year career in Montreal, becoming one of the first Expos inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Gary Carter was born on April 8, 1954, in Culver City, California. A star in football and baseball, Carter won the Punt, Pass, and Kick contest as a seven-year-old. In 1972, he turned down a scholarship from UCLA to play baseball after being drafted in the third round by the Montreal Expos. Carter made his debut at the end of the 1974 season. In 1975 he made the National League All-Star team and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Over the next decade, Gary Carter became a fan favorite in Montreal, winning the All-Star Game MVP in 1981 and 1984. Unable to reach Carter’s salary demands, the Expos would trade him to the Mets during the winter meetings. 

In five seasons with the Mets, Gary Carter helped the team reach the World Series. Carter, an MVP candidate in 1985 and 1986, had several critical hits in the postseason, including a walk-off in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Houston Astros. In Game 4 of the World Series, Gary Carter hit two home runs and started the two-out rally in Game 6 against the Boston Red Sox that led to the Bill Buckner error. The Mets would win the World Series in 1986 and won the National League East in 1998, as Carter hit his 300th career home run. 

After struggling in his final season with the Mets in 1989, Gary Carter spent one season with the San Francisco Giants and one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers before returning to Montreal in 1992. In his final season, Gary Carter played 95 games with the Expos, batting .218 with five home runs and 29 RBI. He would be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003.