Who hit the most home runs after turning 40? You could answer Barry Bonds with 79 dingers, but that would be cheating (Haha…see what I did there?). It’s not Ted Williams or Carl Yazstremski, both good guesses with 40+ after 40, but rather another former Boston player named Carlton Fisk.
I recently wrote about the ageless wonder that is Otis Nixon, the Braves centerfielder that put up insane numbers of stolen bases after the age of 30. A human’s knees just aren’t supposed to work that well after 30, let alone 40. Catchers tend to break down even earlier, often moving to new roles as a first baseman or designated hitter when they can no longer bear the rigors of full games behind the plate. That’s what makes the runner up in 40+ homeruns so interesting.
Fisk hit 72 homeruns after his 40th birthday. This wasn’t accomplished as a designated hitter, riding off into the sunset, but rather as the White Sox starting catcher. Fisk caught 465 games in this span.
Fun fact: Fisk enjoys growing orchids and appears to have one named after him.
