Former Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner died early Monday at the age of 69, per a report by Jeremy Schaap.
Schapp said he spoke with Buckner’s wife, Jody, who shared a statement.
Buckner is known for extending the Red Sox curse in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series when his error at first base handed the game to the New York Mets.
Buckner’s career was more than 1 error
He played 22 years in the majors for five different teams. He was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who drafted him in the second round of the 1968 amateur draft, and the Chicago Cubs for eight seasons each before joining the Red Sox.
Buckner won a batting title and All-Star nod back-to-back, and finished top-15 in MVP voting three consecutive years. But it’s his singular play at first base at Shea Stadium in October 1986 that stuck with fans for years. The Red Sox were looking for their first World Series title since 1918 with a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 10th inning when the Mets tied it.
Mookie Wilson came up with a runner on second and worked the count full before hitting a slow roller up the first base line. Buckner went to his left, but watched as it rolled through his legs and the runner scored.
The Mets went on to win Game 7 for the series. The Red Sox didn’t win a title until 2004, ending the “Curse of the Bambino” and opening the door for Buckner to fall back into fan’s good graces. He attended the home opener in 2008 after the Red Sox’ second World Series title to much fanfare and emotion.
Buckner retired in 1990 after attempting a second stint with the Red Sox. He and his family were forced to move from Massachusetts to Idaho due to the taunts and criticism. His career consisted of 2,715 hits, 1,208 RBIs, 1,077 runs scored and 174 home runs.
MLB shares condolences, memories
Bobby Valentine, Buckner’s teammate and a former Red Sox manager, first shared the news of Buckner’s death on Twitter.
As I clear my head and hold back the tears I know I will always remember Billy Buck as a great hitter and a better friend. He deserved better. Thank god for his family. I ll miss u Buck!
— Bobby Valentine (@BobbyValentine) May 27, 2019
He also shared multiple photos as other thoughts began pouring in.
— Bobby Valentine (@BobbyValentine) May 27, 2019
We mourn the loss of legendary first baseman Bill Buckner. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/7ux5fdC8fO
— MLBPAA (@MLBPAA) May 27, 2019
Talk about a player from another era: Bill Buckner played 22 MLB seasons, and he never walked or struck out more than 40 times in any of them.
— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) May 27, 2019
Terrible news. Bill Buckner always handled his place in history from October 1986 with such grace. He also had an incredible career around all that. https://t.co/qcVEOFQVSn
— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) May 27, 2019
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