Bill Buckner

Last updated • 9 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

1⁄2 games. He entered Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series batting just .111 in the Series, and was zero for three in the game when he singled to start a ninth-inning rally which was capped off by Dave Henderson's famous home run. He went three for six in the final two games as the Red Sox came back from the brink of elimination to defeat the California Angels and win the American League pennant.[ citation needed ]

1986 World Series

Buckner watches his misplayed ground ball as Mookie Wilson goes to first. Billbuckner.jpg
Buckner watches his misplayed ground ball as Mookie Wilson goes to first.

The 1986 Red Sox were leading the heavily favored New York Mets three games to two in the 1986 World Series when Game 6 went into extra innings. For his part, Buckner was batting just .143 against Mets pitching, and he was 0–for–5 in Game 6. When the Red Sox scored two runs in the top of the tenth, Boston manager John McNamara chose to have Buckner take the field in the bottom of the inning instead of bringing Stapleton in as a defensive replacement for the ailing Buckner, as he had in Games 1, 2, and 5. [20]

With two outs and no one on base, New York struck back with three straight singles off Calvin Schiraldi, and tied the game on a wild pitch by Bob Stanley. Mookie Wilson fouled off several pitches before hitting a slow roller to Buckner at first base. Aware of Wilson's speed, Buckner tried to rush the play. As a result, the ball rolled to the left side of his glove, [21] through his legs, and into shallow right field, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run from second base. [22] Had Buckner fielded the ball with Wilson safe at first, the score would have remained tied for the next Mets batter. Had Buckner put out Wilson at first base, Game 6 would have gone to an 11th inning.

Boston led Game 7 by a 3–0 score heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when New York rallied again, scoring 3 runs off Bruce Hurst to tie the game, and 3 more off Schiraldi in the seventh to take a 6–3 lead. Buckner was two for four in the game, and scored one of Boston's two runs in the eighth. However, the Mets also scored twice in the eighth, and won 8–5 for their second and most recent World Series championship.

Fallout

Regardless of any of the other perceived shortcomings that led to Boston's loss in the 1986 World Series, Buckner's error epitomized the "Curse of the Bambino" in the minds of Red Sox fans, and he soon became the scapegoat for a frustrated fan base. [23] Buckner began receiving death threats and was heckled and booed by some of his own home fans, often with the false belief or implication that his play alone could have instantly won the series for the Red Sox. [24] Meanwhile, he was the focal point of derision from the fans of opposing teams on the road—especially when he faced the Mets in spring training of 1987—and during his first regular-season at bat at Yankee Stadium. [25] He made his 2,500th career hit on May 19, an RBI single in a 4–1 road loss to the Kansas City Royals, but the Red Sox released Buckner on July 23 after he recorded a .273 batting average, two home runs, and 42 RBI in 75 games. [26]

California Angels (1987–1988)

Upon his release from the Red Sox, Buckner signed with the California Angels. For the remainder of the 1987 season, Buckner batted .306 and drove in 32 runs in 57 games. In 76 total games with the Angels, Buckner hit .288 with three home runs and 41 RBI. [13]

Kansas City Royals (1988–1989)

At 38 years old, Buckner was released by the Angels on May 9, 1988, just before a road trip that would have brought him to the east coast to face the Yankees and Red Sox. He signed with the Royals shortly after his release and walked into Fenway Park as a player for the opposing team for the first time on July 15. He went one for two off Roger Clemens with a walk. [27]

In 168 games with the Royals, Buckner hit .239 with four home runs and 50 RBI. [13]

Second Red Sox stint (1990)

Buckner returned to the Red Sox in 1990 as a free agent and received a standing ovation from the crowd during player introductions at the home opener on April 9. [28]

Buckner's last home run was against Kirk McCaskill on April 25, 1990, at Fenway Park, the only inside-the-park home run of his career. Despite being one of the slowest runners in baseball, the 40-year-old Buckner circled the bases in the fourth inning when Angels outfielder Claudell Washington crashed into Fenway's three-foot high right-field wall and somersaulted into the front row of seats. [29]

His return was short-lived; he retired on June 5 with a .186 batting average, one home run, and three RBI that season. In 526 career games with Boston, Buckner hit .279 with 48 home runs, 112 doubles, and 324 RBI. [13]

Career stats

Buckner was a speedy baserunner until his ankle surgeries in 1975 and 1976 for a severe ankle sprain and bone chips, respectively. He twice finished in the top 10 in the league in stolen bases (1974 and 1976) and twice led the league in doubles (1981 and 1983). After moving to first base, he played 1,555 regular-season games and made only 128 errors in 13,901 chances. [13]

Buckner signing autographs in 2011 Bill Buckner.jpg
Buckner signing autographs in 2011

In 2,517 games over 22 seasons, Buckner batted .289 (2,715–for–9,397) with 1,077 runs scored, 498 doubles, 49 triples, 174 home runs, 1,208 RBI, 183 stolen bases, 450 walks, an on-base percentage of .321, and a slugging percentage of .408. Defensively, he recorded a .991 fielding percentage at first base and at left and right field. [13]

Post-playing career

After Buckner retired from baseball, he moved his family to Idaho where he invested in real estate in the Boise area. One of the housing subdivisions that he developed is named "Fenway Park". He lent his name to and was a minority owner of a local car dealership, Bill Buckner Motors in Emmett, which was in business from 2006 to 2008.[ citation needed ]

On April 8, 2008, Buckner threw out the first pitch to former teammate Dwight Evans at the Red Sox home opener as they unfurled their 2007 World Series championship banner. He received a two-minute standing ovation from the sell-out crowd. After the game, when asked if he had any second thoughts about appearing at the game, he said, "I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston, per se, but I would have to say in my heart I had to forgive the media for what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I've done that and I'm over that." [30]

On January 4, 2011, Buckner was named the manager of the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League. [31] [32] The Rox posted a 51–42 record in 2011, but after the season, the Rox dropped the professional format to join the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

In December 2011, Buckner became the hitting instructor for the Boise Hawks for the 2012 season. The Hawks were the Chicago Cubs affiliate in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. [33] [34] Buckner announced his retirement from baseball on March 3, 2014. [35] Buckner was inducted into the Napa High School Hall Of Fame in 1997 [36] [37] and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2010. [38]

Buckner was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2008. [39]

Personal life

Buckner and his wife Jody had two daughters, Brittany and Christen, and a son, Bobby. Bobby was a member of the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders baseball team. [40]

Death

Buckner died on May 27, 2019, of Lewy body dementia at the age of 69. [41] He was surrounded by his wife Jody and three children at the time of his death. [42]

In a statement, Buckner's family said, "Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life. Our hearts are broken but we are at peace knowing he is in the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." [43] Buckner's funeral service was held at Calvary Chapel in Boise, Idaho. [44]

In the 1974 episode of the TV series Emergency! entitled “Nagging Suspicion,” Buckner is mentioned as “batting .300” by one of the fire fighters reading the newspaper. The series is set in Los Angeles and at the time Buckner was playing for the Dodgers. Charlie Sheen purchased the "Buckner Ball" at auction in 1992 for $93,000, and for a long time, it resided in the collection of songwriter and Mets fan Seth Swirsky, who refers to it as the "Mookie Ball". [45] The ball was on loan for a time from Swirsky to the Mets to display in their Hall of Fame and Museum, and it was among the most popular artifacts for fans to see. On May 3, 2012, Swirsky sold the ball through Heritage Auctions for $418,250. [46] [47]

Buckner made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the sports parody film The Comebacks and was featured in an episode of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm . [48] He also made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode of the short-lived sitcom Inside Schwartz , advising the title character to "just let it go". In 1995, Buckner appeared along with Michael Jordan, Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. in a commercial for the shoemaker Nike in which Spike Lee, in character as Mars Blackmon, compares Jordan's baseball skills to Musial, Mays, Griffey and Buckner. The punch line is a visual reference to Buckner's 1986 World Series error. [49] His famous 1986 World Series miscue is also referenced in the films Celtic Pride , Rounders, [50] and Fever Pitch . The play is also referenced in an episode of The Simpsons titled "Brother's Little Helper" [51] and in the musical Johnny Baseball . [52] On October 23, 2008, during former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan's testimony in House hearings on the economic crisis of 2008, Representative John Yarmuth referred to Greenspan as one of "three Bill Buckners". [53] Buckner and Mookie Wilson appeared in an MLB Network commercial for the 2016 postseason, "Catching Up", marking the 30th anniversary of the 1986 World Series and their roles in it. [54]

Buckner is mentioned in The Areas of My Expertise in a series of New England sports references. In the book, John Hodgman describes a (fictional) radio personality and recounts the premonition she had regarding Buckner's infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. [55]

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, in Boston, is colloquially referred to by locals as the Bill Buckner Bridge because traffic goes between the "legs" of the bridge, like Buckner's 1986 World Series fielding error. [56] [57] The nickname is now spoken fondly, since Buckner and Sox fans thought fondly of each other after the 2004 World Series win.

In the season 2, episode 16 episode of Boston Legal , Tom Selleck's fiancé needs to be reminded of a tragedy to break out of uncontrolled laughter. The first time this has to be done he reminds her that Bambi's mother was shot. The second time Selleck simply says, "Bill Buckner."

See also

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Ron; Foreword by Joe Morgan (1999). "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments, #8 E-3". The Sporting News . Archived from the original on February 6, 2007.
  2. ↑ Vecsey, George (October 28, 1986). "Babe Ruth Curse Strikes Again". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  3. ↑ James, Marty (May 20, 2010). "AmCan's Buckner to enter Sac-Joaquin Section shrine". American Canyon Eagle. Napa, California. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 English, Jeff. "Bill Buckner". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  5. ↑ James, Marty (June 13, 2011). "A high-flying Hall of Famer". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ James, Marty (February 3, 2009). "Still talkin' baseball". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Bill Buckner". Napa High Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Bill Buckner Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. ↑ "1968 Ogden Dodgers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ "San Francisco Giants 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3". Baseball-Reference.com . September 21, 1969.
  11. ↑ "1970 Spokane Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ "1974 World Series Game 3, Los Angeles Dodgers at Oakland Athletics, October 15, 1974". Baseball-Reference.com. October 15, 1974. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bill Buckner Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Philadelphia Phillies 23, Chicago Cubs 22". Baseball-Reference.com. May 17, 1979. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  15. ↑ Sullivan, Paul (May 16, 1999). "History Shows Tirades Nothing New Around Wrigley Field". Chicago Tribune.
  16. ↑ "1980 Chicago Cubs Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  17. ↑ "1980 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. ↑ "1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. August 9, 1981.
  19. ↑ "First baseman Bill Buckner could be the solution to..." United Press International. May 25, 1984.
  20. ↑ Simmons, Bill (October 14, 2002). "Buckner Deserves Some Peace". ESPN.
  21. ↑ Gibney, Alex (director, narrator). Simmons, Bill (producer/creator). Buckner, Bill (himself, commentator). "Catching Hell", 30 for 30 series of documentaries. ESPN, 2011.
  22. ↑ "1986 World Series, Game 6". Baseball-Reference.com. October 25, 1986.
  23. ↑ Grossfeld, Stan (October 23, 2003). "Error doesn't weigh: He's been a Sox scapegoat for 17 years, but Bill Buckner is at peace in Idaho". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on December 14, 2003.
  24. ↑ "The lessons of Bill Buckner's life (Editorial)". May 28, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 2". Baseball-Reference.com. July 28, 1987.
  26. ↑ "Bill Buckner". Retrosheet . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Boston Red Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 1". Baseball-Reference.com. July 15, 1988.
  28. ↑ Houser, Ben (October 6, 2006). "Buckner: 'I try to look at it in a positive way'". ESPN.
  29. ↑ "Buckner hits inside-the-parker". UPI. April 25, 1990. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  30. ↑ Benjamin, Amalie (April 8, 2008). "An Emotional Day for Bill Buckner". Boston Globe.
  31. ↑ "Buckner Tabbed As Rox Skipper". Brockton Rox. January 4, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  32. ↑ James, Marty (January 6, 2011). "NHS great Buckner back in baseball". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Cubs officially name Buckner as Boise hitting coach" Chicago Tribune – 2011-12-30
  34. ↑ "Buckner will serve as Boise Hawks' hitting coach" The Idaho Statesman – 2011-12-31[ dead link ]
  35. ↑ Murphy, Brian (March 3, 2014). "Boise Hawks hitting coach Bill Buckner retires from baseball". Idaho Statesman. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014.
  36. ↑ James, Marty (April 9, 2008). "Buckner in Napa High Hall of Fame". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  37. ↑ James, Marty (October 31, 2010). "Napa baseball coach accepts honor for his childhood hero". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  38. ↑ James, Marty (April 22, 2010). "Napa High alum Buckner to enter Sac-Joaquin Section shrine". Napa Valley Register . Napa, California. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees" Archived 2020-09-19 at the Wayback Machine . Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  40. ↑ Duarte, Joseph (November 9, 2006). "UT sign Bill Buckner's son". Chron.com.
  41. ↑ "Bill Buckner dies at 69 after battling dementia". ESPN. May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  42. ↑ Sterling, Joe; Griggs, Brandon (May 27, 2019). "Bill Buckner, All-Star slugger best known for his '86 World Series error, is dead at 69". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Red Sox mourn the passing of Bill Buckner". Major League Baseball. May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Bill Buckner laid to rest during memorial service Saturday". June 22, 2019.
  45. ↑ Zipay, Steve (August 16, 2006). "The Buckner Ball: After getting by Buckner, it eventually was snared by fan who grew up on LI". Newsday. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007.
  46. ↑ "Buckner ball sells for $418,250". ESPN. Associated Press. May 4, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Auction record for Buckner Ball". Heritage Auctions.
  48. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (September 4, 2011). "Mister Softee: Bill Bucker to the rescue?". hitfix.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  49. ↑ "1995 Nike Mars Blackmon Michael Jordan Baseball Commercial". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Rounders (screenplay)" . Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  51. ↑ "Brother's Little Helper". Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  52. ↑ Shea, Brendan (April 30, 2010). "Tonight's Lineup: A Crash Course on Red Sox History". American Repertory Theater. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010.
  53. ↑ Greenspan Admits Errors to Hostile House Panel, The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2008 (accessed Oct. 24, 2008)
  54. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Mookie & Buckner in "Catching Up"". September 16, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019– via YouTube.
  55. ↑ Hodgman, J: (2006). The Areas of My Expertise, Riverhead, page 96.
  56. ↑ "The "Buckner Bridge" %". William F. Yurasko. March 23, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  57. ↑ Dorr Jr., Vic (February 2, 2012). "Twenty-five years later, Buckner's pain still lingers". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 24, 2021.

Further reading

Bill Buckner
Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox.jpg
Buckner with the Boston Red Sox, c. 1986
First baseman / Outfielder
Born:(1949-12-14)December 14, 1949
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Died: May 27, 2019(2019-05-27) (aged 69)
Boise, Idaho, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1969, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
May 30, 1990, for the Boston Red Sox
Awards and achievements
Preceded by National League Player of the Month
August 1982		Succeeded by
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