Carlton Fisk
⭐ Hall of Fame 2000
Born: 12/26/1947 in Bellows Falls, VT, USA
MLB Debut: 1969-09-18 | Final Game: 1993-06-22
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 200 lbs
Full name: Carlton Ernest Fisk
Biography
Carlton Fisk, born in 1947, was a distinguished American baseball player whose career spanned from 1969 to 1993. Primarily recognized as a catcher, Fisk played a remarkable 2,499 games, accumulating 2,356 hits and 376 home runs over his extensive career. Known for his powerful hitting and tenacious defensive skills, he recorded 1,330 RBIs and maintained a batting average of .269. Fisk also showcased his speed on the basepaths, finishing his career with 128 stolen bases, an impressive feat for a player in his position during his era.
Fisk's impact on the game was profound, earning him 11 All-Star selections and the prestigious Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie Player of the Year awards. He was celebrated for his leadership and durability behind the plate, becoming a central figure in the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox franchises. His legendary career culminated in his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2000, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. Fisk's contributions to the sport have left an indelible mark, reflecting the evolution of the game from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2499 | 8756 | 1276 | 2356 | 421 | 47 | 376 | 1330 | 128 | 849 | 1386 | 0.269 | 0.341 | 0.457 | 0.797 | 21159.3 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | BOS | AL | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 14 | 48 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.312 | 0.0 |
| 1972 | BOS | AL | 131 | 457 | 74 | 134 | 28 | 9 | 22 | 61 | 5 | 52 | 83 | 0.293 | 3008.5 |
| 1973 | BOS | AL | 135 | 508 | 65 | 125 | 21 | 0 | 26 | 71 | 7 | 37 | 99 | 0.246 | 548.6 |
| 1974 | BOS | AL | 52 | 187 | 36 | 56 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 26 | 5 | 24 | 23 | 0.299 | 1095.1 |
| 1975 | BOS | AL | 79 | 263 | 47 | 87 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 52 | 4 | 27 | 32 | 0.331 | 1457.4 |
| 1976 | BOS | AL | 134 | 487 | 76 | 124 | 17 | 5 | 17 | 58 | 12 | 56 | 71 | 0.255 | 962.6 |
| 1977 | BOS | AL | 152 | 536 | 106 | 169 | 26 | 3 | 26 | 102 | 7 | 75 | 85 | 0.315 | 3097.6 |
| 1978 | BOS | AL | 157 | 571 | 94 | 162 | 39 | 5 | 20 | 88 | 7 | 71 | 83 | 0.284 | 2315.1 |
| 1979 | BOS | AL | 91 | 320 | 49 | 87 | 23 | 2 | 10 | 42 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 0.272 | 88.0 |
| 1980 | BOS | AL | 131 | 478 | 73 | 138 | 25 | 3 | 18 | 62 | 11 | 36 | 62 | 0.289 | 1391.2 |
| 1981 | CHW | AL | 96 | 338 | 44 | 89 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 3 | 38 | 37 | 0.263 | 394.1 |
| 1982 | CHW | AL | 135 | 476 | 66 | 127 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 65 | 17 | 46 | 60 | 0.267 | 411.0 |
| 1983 | CHW | AL | 138 | 488 | 85 | 141 | 26 | 4 | 26 | 86 | 9 | 46 | 88 | 0.289 | 2098.9 |
| 1984 | CHW | AL | 102 | 359 | 54 | 83 | 20 | 1 | 21 | 43 | 6 | 26 | 60 | 0.231 | 319.1 |
| 1985 | CHW | AL | 153 | 543 | 85 | 129 | 23 | 1 | 37 | 107 | 17 | 52 | 81 | 0.238 | 1379.7 |
| 1986 | CHW | AL | 125 | 457 | 42 | 101 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 63 | 2 | 22 | 92 | 0.221 | -1604.1 |
| 1987 | CHW | AL | 135 | 454 | 68 | 116 | 22 | 1 | 23 | 71 | 1 | 39 | 72 | 0.256 | 357.3 |
| 1988 | CHW | AL | 76 | 253 | 37 | 70 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 50 | 0 | 37 | 40 | 0.277 | 1501.9 |
| 1989 | CHW | AL | 103 | 375 | 47 | 110 | 25 | 2 | 13 | 68 | 1 | 36 | 60 | 0.293 | 1291.9 |
| 1990 | CHW | AL | 137 | 452 | 65 | 129 | 21 | 0 | 18 | 65 | 7 | 61 | 73 | 0.285 | 1715.4 |
| 1991 | CHW | AL | 134 | 460 | 42 | 111 | 25 | 0 | 18 | 74 | 1 | 32 | 86 | 0.241 | -25.0 |
| 1992 | CHW | AL | 62 | 188 | 12 | 43 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 3 | 23 | 38 | 0.229 | -318.3 |
| 1993 | CHW | AL | 25 | 53 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0.189 | -326.9 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 0.259 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | ALCS | CHA | 4 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.176 |
| 1975 | ALCS | BOS | 3 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.417 |
| 1975 | WS | BOS | 7 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0.240 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 27 | 21 | 158 | 22 | 6 | 20 |
| 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 2226 | 2097 | 11369 | 1048 | 155 | 147 |
| OF | 41 | 38 | 84 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | BOS | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | BOS | C | 14 | 12 | 72 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 1972 | BOS | C | 131 | 129 | 846 | 72 | 15 | 10 |
| 1973 | BOS | C | 131 | 131 | 739 | 50 | 14 | 8 |
| 1974 | BOS | C | 50 | 49 | 267 | 26 | 6 | 2 |
| 1975 | BOS | C | 71 | 70 | 347 | 30 | 8 | 2 |
| 1976 | BOS | C | 133 | 130 | 649 | 73 | 12 | 9 |
| 1977 | BOS | C | 151 | 149 | 779 | 69 | 11 | 7 |
| 1978 | BOS | C | 154 | 150 | 733 | 90 | 17 | 13 |
| 1978 | BOS | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | BOS | C | 39 | 35 | 155 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | BOS | C | 115 | 112 | 522 | 56 | 10 | 8 |
| 1980 | BOS | 1B | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | BOS | OF | 5 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | CHA | C | 92 | 89 | 470 | 44 | 5 | 10 |
| 1981 | CHA | 1B | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1981 | CHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | CHA | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | CHA | C | 133 | 129 | 639 | 62 | 4 | 7 |
| 1982 | CHA | 1B | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | CHA | C | 133 | 123 | 709 | 46 | 7 | 5 |
| 1984 | CHA | C | 90 | 81 | 421 | 38 | 6 | 4 |
| 1985 | CHA | C | 130 | 120 | 801 | 60 | 10 | 13 |
| 1986 | CHA | C | 71 | 65 | 389 | 39 | 4 | 3 |
| 1986 | CHA | OF | 31 | 29 | 66 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHA | C | 122 | 102 | 550 | 57 | 6 | 15 |
| 1987 | CHA | 1B | 9 | 6 | 44 | 9 | 1 | 7 |
| 1987 | CHA | OF | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | CHA | C | 74 | 68 | 338 | 36 | 2 | 7 |
| 1989 | CHA | C | 90 | 85 | 419 | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990 | CHA | C | 116 | 112 | 660 | 63 | 4 | 14 |
| 1991 | CHA | C | 106 | 91 | 535 | 55 | 4 | 5 |
| 1991 | CHA | 1B | 12 | 12 | 90 | 10 | 2 | 8 |
| 1992 | CHA | C | 54 | 51 | 252 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1993 | CHA | C | 25 | 13 | 75 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 2226 |
| First Base | 27 |
| Third Base | 4 |
| Left Field | 41 |
| Designated Hitter | 166 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bob Feller Act of Valor Award - HOF Player | |
| 1990 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1988 | Player of the Week | Week of 1988-08-19 |
| 1988 | Silver Slugger | C |
| 1985 | Player of the Week | Week of 1985-05-31 |
| 1985 | Silver Slugger | C |
| 1985 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1983 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1981 | Silver Slugger | C |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-05-29 |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-04-30 |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-09-09 |
| 1977 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1972 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1972 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1972 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1972 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | CHA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1991 | CHA | AL | $1,250,000 |
| 1990 | CHA | AL | $1,750,000 |
| 1989 | CHA | AL | $1,200,000 |
| 1988 | CHA | AL | $700,000 |
| 1987 | CHA | AL | $900,000 |
| 1986 | CHA | AL | $875,000 |
| 1985 | CHA | AL | $685,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $8,360,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire | Durham | NH | 1966 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 16.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1985 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 29.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 209.0 | 392 | 3 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 49.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 67.0 | 392 | 1 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 16.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 96.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1972 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 1st | 24.0 | 24 | 24 |