Carman made his Major League Baseball debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on October 1, 1983, and appeared in his final game on July 18, 1992.

On August 20, 1986, Carman took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.

[2] Carman pitched nine innings, gave up one hit, and was the winner when the Phillies scored in the top of the tenth on a Juan Samuel solo homer to win the game 1–0.

In 239 career plate appearances, Carman had 12 hits (all singles), two walks, 75 strikeouts, and an .057 batting average.

The list, including clichés like "I'd rather be lucky than good" and "We're going to take the season one game at a time," was eventually published in several newspapers in its entirety.