Hall of Famer Gary Carter Dead at 57

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, whose single for the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series touched off one of the most improbable rallies in baseball, died today. He was 57. Carter, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, was an 11-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner. Nicknamed "Kid," Carter played nearly two decades with the Mets, Montreal, San Francisco, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the first player to go into the Hall of Fame with an Expos cap on his plaque.

In the 1986 game, the Mets were down to their last chance when Carter stepped up with two outs. No one was on base and New York was trailing Boston 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 6. Carter said he had just one thought in mind: "I wasn't going to make the last out of the World Series." True to his word, he delivered a clean single to left field. A few hits later, Bill Buckner's error allowed the Mets to win 6-5. (More Gary Carter dead stories.)