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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Left-field foul pole in Fenway officially renamed “Fisk Pole”

Associated Press

BOSTON – Deep down, Carlton Fisk knows that a baseball, already in flight, doesn’t change directions because the batter waves his arms, jumps around, or uses every ounce of his New England stubbornness to will it fair.

But, just in case …

“I was just wishing and hoping,” he said Monday night after a ceremony to commemorate his arm-waving, game-saving homer in the 1975 World Series. “Maybe, by doing it, you know, you ask something of somebody with a higher power. I like to think that if I didn’t wave, it would have gone foul.”

The Red Sox honored their Hall of Fame catcher and the 12th-inning home run that won Game 6 of the ‘75 Series by naming the foul pole where it landed the “Fisk Pole.” In a pregame ceremony from the Monster Seats, Fisk was cheered by the Fenway crowd while the shot was replayed.

“Thirty years later, the video of Fisk trying to wave the ball fair remains one of the game’s enduring images,” Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. “That home run, and that World Series, helped revitalize baseball. … The appeal of baseball at its best was illustrated that night.”

The Red Sox scheduled the ceremony to coincide with an interleague series against the Reds, who made their first trip back to Fenway Park since the ‘75 Series. Cincinnati can afford to be good sports about Game 6 – often called the best game in baseball history – because it won the Series in seven games the next night.