Carlton Fisk

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Carlton Fisk

Born:	December 26, 1947
Birthplace:	Bellow Falls, Vermont
Hometown:	Lockport, Illinois
Height:	6' 2"
Weight:	220 lbs.
Bats:	Right
Throws:	Right
Drafted:	1967: 1st Round (4th)
College:	University of New Hampshire
High School:	Charlestown High School
Other Teams:	Chicago White Sox 1981-1993
Years with Boston:	1969, 1971 - 1980

Carlton Ernest "Pudge" Fisk was born in Vermont on December 26, 1947. He attended the University of New Hampshire, and in January 1967 was the first-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox, the fourth player chosen in the nation. He arrived in the big leagues in 1972, played until 1993 when he was 44 years old. Fisk was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

1 Overall Career
2 Awards
3 Achievements
4 Moment in the Sun
5 Trivia
6 Quotes
7 Transactions
8 External Links

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Overall Career

Baseball's most durable catcher with 24 years behind the plate, Carlton "Pudge" Fisk caught more games (2,226) than any player in history. The 11-time All-Star hit 376 career home runs, including a record-setting 351 as a catcher, since bested by Mike Piazza. His most memorable home run came in Game Six of the 1975 World Series - a 12th inning blast off the left field foul pole at Fenway Park - giving his Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds. His tremendous pride and work ethic were respected by both teammates as well as the opposition.

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Awards

Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2000 (79.56%)

1972 American League Rookie of the Year
1972 American League Gold Glove (Catcher)
11-Time American League All-Star (1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1991)
3-Time American League Silver Slugger (1981, 1985, 1988)

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Achievements

AL Triples Leader (1972)
20-Home Run Seasons: 8 (1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985 & 1987)
30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1985)
100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1977 & 1985)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1977)

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Moment in the Sun

HOF for the original Sox BMF

November 21, 1972: Fisk is named the first ever unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year.

August 1, 1973: Thurman Munson and Fisk brawl at Fenway Park. With a 2–2 score in the top of the 9th, Munson, attempting to score from 3rd on a missed bunt by Gene Michael, crashes into Fisk and they both come up swinging. Boston wins 3–2 in the bottom of the inning. It was the beginning of a rivalry that would only end in Munson's untimely death in 1979.

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Trivia

He is second All-Time in homeruns by a catcher (351).
He is the All-Time leader in games caught (2,226).
He is 2nd as All-Time Red Sox leader in games caught (990) behind Jason Varitek, who surpassed him on July 18th, 2006.
He is an 11 time All-Star
In 1972 he led the American League with 9 triples. He is the last catcher to lead the league in this statistical category.
Is the only Red Sox player to have his number retired without having finished his career with the Red Sox, as the retirement criteria used to be that the player in question be a Hall of Fame inductee who spent at least ten years on the team and retired while still with the team.

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Quotes

Fisk gestures toward the Yankees dugout before throwing out the first pitch in Game 4 of the 1999 ALCS.

Carlton Fisk: A million years went by quick.

Carlton Fisk: And then after that, running around the bases, it was just one of those things. You couldn't believe what happened to you. And I look back on it, it's almost like it happened to somebody else.

Carlton Fisk: I always looked up there, because I remember a time when the only things on the walls in Fenway were the Jimmy Fund sign and the retired numbers. Never in a million years did you think you'd ever be up there with those guys.

Carlton Fisk: I knew it was gonna go out. It was just a question of it being fair or foul. The wind must have carried it 15 feet toward the foul pole. I just stood there and watched. I didn't want to miss seeing it go out.

Carlton Fisk: I remember standing on deck with Fred Lynn before that at-bat. Other things happened in the game, but we were just standing there. He's a rookie and I'm just a third-year player, and we're just trying to be as cool as we could be.

Carlton Fisk: It was just one of those moments in the universe that was mine.

Carlton Fisk: It's funny. Some people remember that a lot more than I do. I remember certain parts of it, and if everybody who mentioned that to me had been to the game who said they were at the game, there'd be 800,000 people at that game, I think.

Carlton Fisk: It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career.

Carlton Fisk: The '70s were a time of turmoil and turnover. But I grew up here. I always wanted to play here.

Remarks at Fisk's Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Remarks at Fisk's number retirement ceremony

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Transactions

January 28, 1967: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (4th pick) of the 1967 Amateur Draft.
February 12, 1981: Granted Free Agency.
March 18, 1981: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
November 12, 1985: Granted Free Agency.
January 8, 1986: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
January 22, 1988: Granted Free Agency.
February 9, 1988: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
November 4, 1991: Granted Free Agency.
December 11, 1991: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
December 19, 1992: Granted Free Agency.
February 5, 1993: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
June 28, 1993: Released by the Chicago White Sox.