The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 20. Carlton Fisk, 1983-93 (35-45)
- 193 HR
- 652 RBI
- 24.7 WAR
It’s really easy to define Carlton Fisk’s career in one single moment. That infamous game-winning home run off the left-field foul pole at Fenway Park in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. In all honesty, that ball would have gone foul if not for his heroic waves to keep it fair. Despite the brilliance of that moment that’s forever etched in Boston Red Sox history, it’s unfair to summarize his career with a single moment. Fisk was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2000 after all.
As mentioned on his Hall of Fame plaque, part of Fisk’s resume was his tenable durability. The Hall of Famer spent 24 years in the MLB with 11 of those seasons following his 35th birthday. He spent all of those 11 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the team he signed with during his 1981 free agency.
After putting together nearly 11 full seasons after his 35th birthday, Fisk put together some impressive longevity stats. This included 193 home runs and 652 RBIs. Both categories rank seventh on the MLB’s all-time list of players over 35. As a catcher, he played in at least 130 games five different seasons after turning 35 which adds to the story of durability.