One of the Best

Name: Carlton Fisk

Card Company: Fleer

Year: 1988

Team: Chicago White Sox

Bats/Throws: R

Ht: 6'3

Carlton Fisk is considered by some to be the greatest catcher of all-time. And while some may debate that point, what can’t be debated is the impact he had on the game of baseball. A near perfect mix of defense and offense, that when he retired he was the all-time leader for career homeruns by a catcher and most games played behind the dish. Now while both of those marks have been surpassed, it in no way devalues his career accomplishments in the slightest. So, let’s begin the analysis on one of the best to ever play baseballs most demanding position, Carlton Fisk.

Fisk was selected 4th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 MLB Draft and would spend the majority of the next five years in the minors. After making two brief appearances for the Red Sox in 1969 and 1971, he would finally break into a full-time role in 1972. In that rookie season, he proceeded to lead the league in triples (9), while posting a batting average of .293, hitting 22 homeruns and driving in 61 RBI’s. That performance was good enough to make him the first unanimous rookie of the year and resulted in his first all-star appearance and a gold glove award. And after a bit of a sophomore slump which saw him hit only .246, he was back to his old self the next year until disaster struck. In 1974 Fisk was involved in a homeplate collision with Leron Lee that resulted in multiple ligament tears in the knee, and some questioned whether he would ever play baseball again. It would be a year before we would ever see Fisk again, and serves as a reminder to why homeplate collisions are an unnecessary part of the game. After that year long layoff, he would respond by hitting .331 while driving in 52 runs in only 79 games, leading the Red Sox to the World Series against the Reds.

Though the 1975 World Series might not have shaken out the way he wanted to, he did produce one of baseball’s greatest moments. In the 12th inning of game 6, Fisk smashed 1-0 fastball just inside the left-field foul pole for a homerun. Fisk waving the ball fair would become one of the greatest images in baseball history, so great in-fact that many people forget that the Red Sox lost game 7. That’s right Bill Lee not only cost Luis Tiant a ring but also cost Carlton Fisk a ring as well when he decided to be cute and try to throw an eephus pitch by Tony Perez, that got killed for a homerun.

Over the next five years in Boston, Fisk would maintain his place as one of the premier offensive catchers in baseball. In that time, he averaged 18 homeruns and 70 RBI’s a year, including a year in which he posted a .315 batting average to go along with 26

homeruns and 102 RBI’s. However, tension began to rise between him and Red Sox management when he started to “demand” to be paid what he was worth. And after the 1980 season Fisk became a free agent, and after a less than impressive offer by the Red Sox he decided to change his socks and become a member of the Chicago White Sox.

Because his number 27 was already taken at the time by a pitcher, Fisk decided to just swap the numbers around and be number 72. And it just so happened that opening day in 1981 would feature the Red Sox vs the White Sox, a day where Fisk would hit a game winning 3-run homer giving the White Sox a 5-3 win. In 1983 Fisk

would finish third in MVP voting, finishing behind Baltimore teammates Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. Also in 1983, he would help lead teammate LaMarr Hoyt to a 24-win season and a Cy Young award, while he hit 26 homeruns and drove in 86 RBI’s. In 1984, he also became one of only 14 catchers in baseball history to ever hit for the cycle. However, the 1984 season would see the injury bug strike again and limit Fisk to only 102 games that year. In 1985, he would bounce back in a big way, mashing a career high 37 homeruns and driving in a career high 107 RBI’s winning his second ever silver slugger award. In 1985, he would also catch Tom Seaver’s complete game/300th victory, and also caught a then record 57 saves posted by Chicago closer Bobby Thigpen. As his career wound down with the White Sox he broke Johnny Benches career homerun mark by a catcher in 1990 and also broke Bob Boone’s career record for games caught in 1993.

However, six days after breaking this mark he was released by the White Sox and ordered to turn in his gear and fly home alone while sitting in his hotel room. Needless to say, there were some tensions that followed afterwards and when Fisk stopped by to wish his former teammates luck in the upcoming playoffs he was thrown out of the clubhouse. The White Sox would eventually make things right with Fisk by retiring his number and having a statue made of him in 2005.

At the end of his 22-year career Fisk finished as the sturdiest, and the most offensively prolific catcher of his generation. His 149 shutouts caught is second all-time to the legendary Yogi Berra, and also caught a then record 25 inning game between the White Sox and the Brewers. Fisk was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, making him 1 of only 16 catchers to ever be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And to think this career was almost ruined by a wannabe tough guy Leron Lee.

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