The Cardinals Trade Steve Carlton to Philadelphia

On February 25, 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals traded left-hander Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for right-hander Rick Wise. Both pitchers were 27 and seeking raises to $65,000 that their clubs refused to pay. Ironically, both got the money they wanted from their new teams. Carlton, coming off a 20-win season, went on to win the 1972 NL Cy Young Award unanimously, going 27-10 for a Phillies team that won only 59 games. He accounted for nearly half their victories. Carlton won four Cy Young Awards over his career and finished with 329 wins. The trade stands as one of the most lopsided in baseball history.

Three Hall of Famers were born on February 25. Ron Santo arrived in 1940 and spent 14 of his 15 seasons at third base for the Chicago Cubs. He earned nine All-Star selections and five Gold Glove Awards while quietly managing Type 1 diabetes throughout his playing career, a condition he kept private for years. Santo later became a beloved Cubs radio broadcaster and was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2012.

Monte Irvin was born on this date in 1919 in Haleburg, Alabama. After starring in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles, Irvin joined the New York Giants in 1949 and quickly became one of the early generation of Black players in the integrated majors. He mentored a young Willie Mays upon Mays's arrival in 1951 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973.

Andy Pafko, born in 1921, was a four-time All-Star outfielder with the Cubs who also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves during a 17-year career.