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PawSox: Fisk Waved Fair Into PawSox Hall of Fame

8/29/2017

Photo courtesy of the Pawtucket Red Sox (c)

Ryan L. Fox

This past Sunday marked the finale home game of the 2017 for the Pawtucket Red Sox. It also marked a special occasion in the franchise’s history. Earlier in the year, the PawSox inducted former player Mo Vaughn and former manager Joe Morgan into their team Hall of Fame. Then on Sunday, August 27, the team inducted former MLB catcher and MLB Hall of Famer Carlton “Pudge” Fisk as the third member of its 2017 Hall of Fame class.

Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (4th overall) of the January 1967 MLB Draft, Fisk first made his major league in 1969, playing in 2 games for the Red Sox that year.

Fisk officially made his PawSox debut during the 1970 season, which at the time was a Double-A team in the Boston Red Sox farm system (it would be 3 years before they made the official jump to Triple-A in 1973). He played in 93 games with the PawSox, hitting .229 (65-for-284) with 12 home runs, 44 RBIs, and had an OBP/SLG/OPS of .337/.426/.763.

Fisk then got promoted to Triple-A Louisville before the beginning the 1971 season and rejoined the Boston club during that same season. He then officially joined the Boston Red Sox during the 1972 and then went on to have an illustrious 24-year career in the majors (11 years with the Red Sox (1969, 1971-1980) and 13 years with the Chicago White Sox (1981-1993)).

The man affectionately nicknamed ‘Pudge’ had career numbers as followed: a career .269 batting average with 2,356 career hits, 376 career home runs, and 1,330 career RBIs. He was also voted to 11 All-Star Games, won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1972 as well as the Gold Glove Award that same season, won 3 Silver Slugger Awards (1981, 1985, 1988), and had his No. 27 retired by the Boston Red Sox in 2000 and his No. 72 retired by the White Sox in 1997. Fisk was voted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and then the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. He also was awarded an honorary World Series ring in 2005 from the Red Sox for their 2004 World Series victory and then in 2006 from the White Sox for their 2005 World Series victory. His famous ‘waving the ball fair’ in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds has also become a part of baseball lore.

After the PawSox Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Fisk spoke with the media. Fisk talked about what it was like back in McCoy before it became a Triple-A team, how both the PawSox and Boston Red Sox evolved from his playing days to now, the connection between the organization and the Pawtucket community, and more.

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