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NEW YORK -- Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter passed away Thursday after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 57.
Best known for his role on the 1986 World Series champion Mets and for his 10-year run with the Expos that preceded it, Carter had been battling cancer since doctors discovered inoperable tumors on his brain in May 2011. His condition took a turn for the worse when an MRI revealed new tumors in January 2012.
Nicknamed "Kid," Carter hit 24 homers and knocked in 105 runs for the 1986 Mets, earning one of his 11 career All-Star selections and finishing third in National League MVP Award voting. His leap into the arms of reliever Jesse Orosco after the final out of World Series Game 7 remains one of the most indelible images in Mets history.
Carter hit 324 home runs over a 19-year run with the Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers, finishing his career back where he started, in Montreal in 1992. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2003 with an Expos cap, on a plaque referring to his "signature smile" and clutch hitting. Carter was also inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. His uniform No. 8 is retired by the Expos.
Carter, who spent time managing two of New York's Class A Minor League affiliates last decade and was named Gulf Coast League Manager of the Year in 2005, most recently served as the head baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. Before his illness, Carter had been outspoken in his desire to one day manage the Mets.
The New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America honored Carter in January 2012 with its Milton Richman/Dan Castellano "You Gotta Have Heart" award.
Carter is survived by his wife, Sandy; his daughters, Kimmy and Christy; his son, D.J.; and three grandchildren.
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