Paoli author William Kashatus provides a fascinating inside scoop on a pair of Phillies greats in his new book Lefty and Tim: How Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver Became Baseball’s Best Battery, writes J.F. Pirro for Main Line Today. 

A former teacher at the University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University, Kashatus has authored around 30 books and 200 essays. He hopes that this latest work, with the forward written by former Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson of Malvern, could nab him a Casey Award. 

The book focuses on Carlton and McCarver, who appear to be an odd couple at first glance. 

“Tim McCarver was old school, Steve Carlton new age,” said Kashatus. “Reunited midseason in Philadelphia in 1975, McCarver became Carlton’s personal catcher. They really were hand and glove, and they became the best battery in baseball in the mid-to late ’70s.” 

The book also offers some insight into Carlton’s weird humor and hijinks he often engaged in. 

“Headbutting was a favorite thing of his,” said Kashatus. “It hurt, but he had a proclivity for doing it to younger players as a form of endearment.” 

Read more about the book in Main Line Today.