CARLTON FISK WHITE SOX TIMELINE

[StatManDu]

CARLTON FISK WHITE SOX TIMELINE

Feb. 12, 1981: An arbitrator declared Carlton Fisk a free agent paving "Pudge's" way to sign with the White Sox. Arbitrator Raymond Goetz upheld the Players Association's claim that Fisk should be free based on the fact that the Red Sox mailed the All-Star catcher his contract two days after the Dec. 20 deadline. This set in motion the White Sox’s pursuit of Fisk, which would culminate with his signing March 10.

 

March 10, 1981: In one of the great moves in the history of the franchise, the Sox new ownership group of Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn signed Fisk giving their regime instant credibility. Fisk became a free agent when the Boston Red Sox failed to postmark his contract. The Sox literally camped out on Fisk’s doorstep in getting him to agree to a $3 million contract.

 

April 10, 1981: In his White Sox debut and in the stadium he called home for the previous 10 seasons, Fisk launched a dramatic three-run homer in the eighth inning that gave the Sox the lead for good in a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day at Fenway Park.

 

April 14, 1981: In his White Sox home debut, Fisk thrilled an Opening Day crowd of 51,560 with a grand slam in a 9-3 triumph of the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

Jan. 8, 1986: The White Sox signed Fisk, who had filed for free agency the previous Nov. 12, to a two-year contract. This was the second of five contracts the future Hall of Famer would sign with the Sox.

 

June 15, 1983: A fifth-inning RBI triple fronted the Sox for good in a 5-2 win at Anaheim. The hit came with Fisk starting in the No. 2 spot and ignited a streak which would see him hit .329 the rest of way in leading the White Sox to the A.L. West title.

 

Aug. 30, 1983: Fisk hit the only inside-the-park homer of his White Sox career in a 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers at Comiskey Park. Fisk victimized Dave Stewart with two out in the fifth inning.

 

May 16, 1984: A first inning double, second inning single, fourth inning home run and a seventh inning triple made Fisk just the third White Sox player to hit for the cycle and the first to do it at Comiskey Park. Despite the history, the Sox lost to the Royals 7-6.

 

May 30, 1985: Fisk hit the second of his two roof shot home runs at Comiskey Park. On this date, Fisk victimized the Royals’ Charlie Leibrandt. Fisk’s first roofer came Aug. 1, 1984 off Boston’s Bob Ojeda.

 

June 19, 1985: Fisk swiped second and third base in the second inning of the White Sox 8-7 win over Oakland at Comiskey Park. Fisk stole a career-high 17 bases in 1985.

 

Aug. 2, 1985: Fisk tagged out both Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra on the same play at the plate in the seventh inning of the White Sox 5-3 win at Yankee Stadium.

 

Aug. 4, 1985: Fisk was behind the plate for Tom Seaver’s 300th career victory – a 4-1 White Sox win at Yankee Stadium. Fisk scored the go-ahead run in the sixth in Seaver’s complete game effort.

 

Sept. 25, 1985: Fisk tied Dick Allen’s 1972 franchise record with his 37th home run of the season. The solo shot came off Ron Romanick in a 7-4 loss at California. The home run was also Fisk’s 33rd while playing catcher, breaking Lance Parrish’s 1982 league record for roundtrippers at the position.

 

Aug. 19, 1988: Fisk caught his 1,807th American League game, setting the record in that category. He celebrated the occasion with his first career five-hit game.

 

June 21, 1989: Fisk cracked his 307th home run as a catcher, passing the Yankees’ Yogi Berra as the American League’s all-time leader in that department. Fisk accomplished the feat in a 7-3 win in Berra's old stomping grounds of Yankee Stadium.

 

July 17, 1989: Fisk collected his 2,000th hit – a 28 bouncer up the middle – before an appreciative crowd at Comiskey Park. The milestone came off the Yankees’ Andy Hawkins, the same pitcher he hit his record homer off of about a month earlier in the Bronx.

 

May 22, 1990: Fisk scolded and lectured the Yankees’ Deion Sanders on Yankee Pride at homeplate during the Sox 5-2 loss to New York. Fisk’s lecture was apparently over Sanders’ lack of hustle and his lackadaisical demeanor on baseball’s hallowed ground and prompted both benches to clear but no punches were thrown.

 

Aug. 17, 1990: With one swing of the bat, Fisk became the most prolific home run-hitting catcher in big league history and the White Sox all-time home run leader. Fisk’s second-inning homer off Charlie Hough in Texas gave him 328 as a catcher and 187 with the White Sox. He eclipsed Johnny Bench’s mark for catchers and Harold Baines’ White Sox record. The historic homer came in the White Sox 4-2 win.

 

Sept. 3, 1990: Fisk hit the last of his 87 home runs at the original Comiskey Park in a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals before 25,236 on the Southside. Fisk finished tied for second all-time in Old Comiskey Park home runs with Harold Baines, one behind leader Bill Melton. Twenty-seven days later, Fisk would start the final game at the old park behind the plate and go 0-for-4.

 

Oct. 3, 1990: Fisk collected two hits in the season finale at Boston’s Fenway Park to raise his average to .285. He tied Lance Johnson for the team lead in average becoming the only catcher in team history to lead or share the lead in that category.

 

June 3, 1991: Fisk hit his first home run at New Comiskey Park. The blast came off future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland A’s.

 

July 9, 1991: Fisk made his fourth and final All-Star team as a member of the White Sox and his 11th and last overall. … Joined Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench as the only catchers to play in at least 10 All-Star Games (Fisk did not play in the 1974 game because of an injury). … Replaced Sandy Alomar Jr. at catcher in the fifth inning to become the oldest White Sox player, the third-oldest player overall and the oldest American League position player to play in an All-Star Game … Finished the game behind the plate. … Went 1-for-2. … Singled off Pete Harnisch to center with two out in the sixth to become the oldest player (43 years, seven months, 13 days) to hit safely in an All-Star Game. … Handled five chances (all putouts) without an error. … Caught teammate Jack McDowell in the fifth and sixth inning to form the third All-White Sox battery in All-Star history and the first since Duane Josephson caught Tommy John in the 1968 game in Houston. … Tagged out a sliding Will Clark at home for the second out in a scoreless sixth.

 

Aug. 6, 1991: Fisk hit his 200th home run in a White Sox uniform. The dinger came off the Yankees’ Wade Taylor in a 14-5 win at “new” Comiskey Park.

 

March 3, 1993: Fisk signed what turned out to be his final contract with the White Sox when he signed a minor league agreement. The 45-year old Fisk entered the season 24 games shy of the all-time games caught record.

 

April 7, 1993: On his first swing of the season, Fisk socked what turned out to be the final home run of his Hall of Fame career. The blast, the 376th of Fisk’s career, came off Jim Deshaies in the third inning of the Sox 6-1 loss at Minnesota.

 

June 19, 1993: Fisk notched the 2,356th and final hit of his career – a fifth inning single off Mark Langston in a 5-4 loss at California.

 

June 22, 1993: Fisk became the all-time leader by catching his 2,226th game in the Sox 3-2 win over Texas before 36,757 at Comiskey Park. Prior to the game, the White Sox presented Fisk with several gifts, including a special-edition Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a $25,000 donation to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Fisk helped give the Sox the lead with a sacrifice in the fifth that led to a run. After Texas tied the game in the sixth, Lance Johnson drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the ninth. Six days later, the Sox released Fisk.

 

Sept. 14, 1997: The White Sox retired Fisk’s No. 72 in a ceremony at New Comiskey Park. He became the eighth Sox player (ninth overall including Jackie Robinson’s No. 42) to have his number retired. The others: Nellie Fox, Harold Baines, Luke Appling, Minnie Minoso, Luis Aparicio, Ted Lyons and Billy Pierce.

 

Jan. 11, 2000: On his second try, Fisk earned enough votes for induction into the Hall of Fame. “Pudge” received 397 votes or 79.56 in voting by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Fisk easily exceeded the 75 percent needed to qualify.

 

July 23, 2000: Fisk was inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. He became the 24th player and 32nd person overall with ties to the White Sox to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

 

Aug. 7, 2005: The White Sox unveiled a a life-sized bronze statue of Fisk at U.S. Cellular Field. The statue is located on the main concourse in left field.

 

May 13, 2008: The White Sox appointed Fisk as a team ambassador.

 

May 22, 2008: Welcome Back Carlton Fisk Night celebrated at U.S. Cellular Field.

Edited May 22, 2008 by StatManDu

[Texsox]

[knightni]

Is that contract signing out of place up there?

 

It says 1986 but is in the 1983 area.

 

Also, no collusion talk in 1986.

 

He hits a career high 37 hr and 107 rbi and no one but the Sox make an official offer to him.

 

Collusion I

 

The free agent market following the 1985 season was different than any since the Seitz decision a decade earlier. Only four of the 35 free agents changed teams and those four were not wanted by their old team. Star players, such as Kirk Gibson, Tommy John and Phil Niekro, did not receive offers from other teams. The cover of the December 9, 1985 edition of Sporting News asked, "Why Won't Anyone Sign Kirk Gibson?"[6] George Steinbrenner offered Carlton Fisk a contract, then withdrew the offer after getting a call from Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. [7] Teams also reduced team rosters from 25 to 24 players.

 

In early 1986, the MLBPA filed their first grievance (Collusion I).