Clay Carroll

Clay Palmer Carroll (born May 2, 1941 in Clanton, Alabama) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1964 to 1978. He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves and Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, all of the National League, and the Chicago White Sox of the American League.

Early life

Clay Carroll was one of nine children of a cotton mill worker, who died in 1966.^[1] Growing up in Clanton, Alabama, Carroll went to school and also worked many jobs, including as a curb-service boy at a restaurant, at the cotton mill where his father worked, and loading watermelons onto trucks.^[2]

Professional career

Carroll was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1961,^[3] and made his major league debut at age 23 on September 2, 1964, hurling two shutout innings against the Cardinals.^[4]

Carroll, nicknamed "Hawk" due to his profile, was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1971 and 1972. He led the National League in saves in 1972 with 37, and finished tied for fifth in the Cy Young Award voting. The 37 saves stood as a National League record until Bruce Sutter broke it in 1984 with 45 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carroll's best seasons were with the Reds from 1968 to 1975, which earned him a place in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Carroll pitched in three World Series for the Reds, including the 1975 World Series which the Reds won in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. Carroll starred in the 1970 World Series as he appeared in five of the six games, hurling nine shutout innings with 11 strikeouts to pace a staff that otherwise struggled against Baltimore. Carroll was the winning pitcher in the Reds' only victory against the Orioles. Overall, Carroll had an impressive 1.39 ERA in 22 postseason appearances, allowing just five earned runs in 32.3 innings.

Personal life

A September 1972 newspaper article noted that Carroll and his wife Judy were the parents of two daughters, Connie and Lori, then ages four and three.^[1] Two years later their son Bret was born. The Carrolls divorced in 1981.^[5]

In 1983 Carroll married Frances Nowitzke, who also had three children.^[5] During a November 1985 shooting in their home in Bradenton, Florida, Carroll was wounded, and his wife Frances, 53, and son Bret, 11, were shot and killed by Frances' son, Frederick.^[6][7][8] Carroll's stepson was convicted of murder. Several years later a new trial was ordered, and the stepson given a life sentence that continues to be served.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Carroll still frequently returns to Cincinnati for the team's annual RedsFest event, including in December 2012.^[13] He is also a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.^[14]

See also

• TSN Reliever of the Year
• Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
• List of Major League Baseball saves champions
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

External links

• Baseball Reference

References