Ranking the Catchers With a commanding presence behind the plate and a rocket arm, Johnny Bench was the best defensive catcher in history. But that wasn’t all. The powerful right-handed slugger won a pair of Most Valuable Player awards and led the Reds to six division titles, four pennants, and two championships. He hit…
Carlton Fisk Position: CatcherBats: Right • Throws: Right6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg)Born: December 26, 1947 in Bellows Falls, VTDraft: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (4th) of the 1967 MLB January Draft-Regular Phase.High School: Charlestown HS (Charlestown, NH)Schools: Keene State College (Keene, NH), University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)Debut: September 18, 1969 ( 10,550th in MLB history)vs. BAL 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SBLast Game:…
Hall of Famer Wade Boggs became the tenth Red Sox player to have his number retired by the team. The third baseman’s number 26 joins 1 (Bobby Doerr), 4 (Joe Cronin), 6 (Johnny Pesky), 8 (Carl Yastrzemski), 9 (Ted Williams), 14 (Jim Rice), 27 (Carlton Fisk), 45 (Pedro Martinez), and 42 (Jackie Robinson) on Fenway’s historic right field facade.
Mike Trout (.326, 30, 83), the BBWAA’s unanimous selection as the Rookie of the Year, surpasses Lou Whitaker (1978 Tigers) by three months and five days to become the youngest American League player to be honored with the award. The 21 year-old Angel center fielder joins Evan Longoria (2008 Rays), Nomar Garciaparra (1997 Red Sox), Derek Jeter (1996 Yankees), Tim Salmon (1993 Angels), Sandy Alomar Jr. (1990 Indians), Mark McGwire (1987 A’s), and Carlton Fisk (1972 Red Sox) as the only other unanimous AL winners.
Ivan Rodriguez catches the 2,227th game of his career, breaking Carlton Fisk’s record, in Houston’s 5 – 4, 10-inning loss to his former team, the Texas Rangers. For Texas, Omar Vizquel, the all-time leader for games played at shortstop, picks up his 2,677th hit, tying Luis Aparicio for most hits by a Venezuelan player.
On June 18, 2004 At Shea Stadium, Hall of Fame catchers Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, and Yogi Berra take part in a pregame ceremony to honor Mike Piazza for hitting the most home runs as a catcher in baseball history. The Mets’ backstop established the new mark, breaking Carlton Fisk’s record, with his…
At Dodger Stadium, Mike Piazza ties Carlton Fisk for the most career homers by a catcher as he hits Hideo Nomo’s sixth-inning pitch into the stands for his 351st round-tripper as a backstop. The homer, which was his 362nd overall, moves the Mets’ star past Yankees’ Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio on the all-time list.
The Red Sox honor Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk. The New Hampshire resident, who played his first nine seasons with Boston, joins Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Carl Yastrzemski (8), and Ted Williams (9) in having his number (27) be retired at Fenway.
The Big Red Machine rolls into Cooperstown, delivering first baseman Tony Perez, manager Sparky Anderson and Reds announcer Marty Brennaman into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with 1975 Red Sox World Seriesrival Carlton Fisk. Also enshrined are 19th Century Cincinnati second baseman Bid McPhee and Negro League star “Turkey” Stearnes.
The BBWAA elects former Red Sox and White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk and the ‘Big Red Machine’s first baseman Tony Perez to the Hall of Fame. ‘Pudge’ is selected in his second year of eligibility, and the Reds infielder from Ciego De Avila, Cuba makes it on his ninth try.