More than 1,000 former teammates, family members and friends of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter paid tribute to him at a church memorial in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday evening.
Among the Mets contingent who came to say goodbye to “The Kid,” were former teammates Darryl Strawberry, Jesse Orosco, Wally Backman, Bobby Ojeda, Rusty Staub and Lenny Dykstra. Current Mets Terry Collins, David Wright, Jon Niese, Josh Thole and Bobby Parnell also attended.
Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, whom Gary Carter looked up to and wanted to emulate as a player, was also there. “I’m gonna miss that smile, I’m gonna miss every part of Gary Carter because of the way he was,” said Bench. “For those who knew him, no words are necessary. For those who didn’t, no words are adequate.”Among those who attended were
Carter died Feb. 16 of brain cancer at the age of 57.
An 11-time All-Star, Carter’s tenure with the Mets may have been short, but to Mets fans he is iconic and will always be remembered for igniting one of the most improbable rallies in baseball history when the Mets came back to win Game Six of the 1986 World Series.
You belong to the ages now, Gary.
