Boston Red Sox: 30 Greatest Players in Team History
13: Carlton Fisk, C (1969-1980)
Carlton Fisk started his career in Boston and played with the Red Sox for 11 seasons before moving on to play 13 more for the White Sox. That kind of longevity is rare to see from a catcher.
His longevity is just one example of the toughness and hard-working attitude Fisk brought to the Red Sox clubhouse day in and day out. He was a hard worker, but do not discount Fisk’s talent. His numbers back up the fact that he was a legitimate All-Star caliber player.
Career numbers of .269/.341/.457 with 376 HR and 1330 RBI are impressive and make him one of the greatest offensive catchers of all time. In fact, those numbers have been paralleled by very few in MLB history, regardless of position.
Fisk’s career with the Red Sox will live on forever with one moment: Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. With the game tied in the bottom of the 12th, Fisk hit a deep fly ball down the left field line. The iconic moment shows Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair as he hops out of the batter’s box.
The walk off homer over the Green Monster is one of the most unforgettable moments in MLB history. While this one moment will highlight many people’s memory of Fisk’s career, it just goes to show how instrumental and important he was to the organization in the 1970s.
Bio on Fisk was given by Matthew Kennedy. Check out his work, and give him a follow on Twitter, @MattFKennedy.
Next: Number 12