Carlton Fisk Biography

1947-

American baseball player

The New England-born baseball player Carlton Fisk is one of the sport's most legendary catchers, having caught more games (2,226) than any other player in history. In his 11 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and 13 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Fisk set a major league record for the most home runs by a catcher (351). Fans remember one home run in particular: a 12th-inning, save-the-day homer that let the Red Sox win Game Six of the 1975 World Series. The 11-time All-Star player overcame several injuries during his lengthy career, including a knee injury that threatened to keep him on the sidelines permanently. Popular with fans and fellow teammates, Fisk won respect as a hardworking and devoted player and an extraordinarily well-conditioned athlete. In 2000, at age 52, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the 12th catcher enshrined in the famed Cooperstown, New York, museum.

Carlton Fisk

Born in Vermont and raised in rural Charlestown, New Hampshire, Carlton Ernest Fisk was one of six children born to Cecil, a farmer and a machinist, and Leona, a homemaker. Both of his parents were athletes—Cecil was an all-around athlete and a powerhouse on the tennis court, while Leona held her own on men's softball teams—and all of his siblings played sports avidly. Fisk's first love was basketball, and he and his brothers often played pickup games in the hayloft of their grandfather's barn.

At Charlestown High School, Fisk—nicknamed "Pudge"—was a tall, rugged athlete who dominated every sport, including basketball and baseball. When he graduated, major league baseball teams took notice, including the Baltimore Orioles, who made Fisk an offer to join the club in the 1965 draft. But the young athlete chose instead to attend the University of New Hampshire, which had awarded him a basketball scholarship.