A Wise Trade, as It Turned Out

This summer is the 40th anniversary of the best single-season performance by a Philadelphia athlete not named Wilt Chamberlain:

Steve Carlton's magical 1972 campaign.

To mark the occasion, BoopStats has decided to revisit Carlton's Phillies career every now and again.

This week we touch on his acquisition, coming in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals for Phillies fan favorite Rick Wise.

Remember, Wise had debuted with the Phillies in 1964 and in June 1971 had tossed a no-hitter and hit two home runs in the same game. So not all Phillies fans were happy with the Feb. 25, 1972, deal.

Carlton had led the National League in losses (19) in 1970, and at the time of the trade he had exactly two more career wins than Wise (77-75). Lefty would extend that margin to 141 by the time his career was over.

Below are the career statistics for Carlton and Wise on the day they were traded for one another.