Former MLB All-Star Bill Buckner, 69, dies following battle with dementia as teammates honor 'a great hitter and friend who deserved better' after his costly error in the 1986 World Series made him a target of Red Sox fans
- Former All-Star Bill Buckner died Monday at 69 after battling dementia
- Buckner won a batting title with the Cubs in 1980 and was named an All-Star in 1981, but his career became defined by his costly error in the 1986 World Series
- The Red Sox had been one out away from winning their first World Series since 1918 when the New York Mets tied the game, 5-5, in the 10th inning
- Mets centerfielder Mookie Wilson's dribbler down the first base line went between Buckner's legs and allowed Ray Knight to score the winning run
- Boston lost Game 7, 8-5, and did not end the franchise's World Series drought until 2004, when the Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic
- Buckner was back in Boston for the 1987 season, but was released in July after months of being heckled by fans and even receiving death threats
- After moving his family to Idaho upon retirement, Buckner returned to Boston in 2008 and got a two-minute standing ovation before tossing out the first pitch
- Buckner's Dodgers teammate Bobby Valentine tweeted: 'I know I will always remember Billy Buck as a great hitter and a better friend. He deserved better'
Bill Buckner, a veteran of 22 Major League Baseball seasons who may be best remembered for his infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, died Monday at the age of 69 after battling dementia.
'After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family,' his family said in a statement. '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.'
Although Buckner won a batting title with the Chicago Cubs in 1980 and was named a National League All-Star the following season, his career became defined by the error that cost his Boston Red Sox Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
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Bill Buckner, a veteran of 22 Major League Baseball seasons who may be best remembered for his infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, died Monday at the age of 69 after battling dementia. Buckner (right) returned to Boston's Fenway Park for the 2008 home opener, after the Red Sox had won their second World Series in four years. He received a two-minute standing ovation before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch
Although Buckner won a batting title with the Cubs in 1980 and was named a National League All-Star the following season, his career became defined by the error that cost his Boston Red Sox Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. (Right) Mets coach Mookie Wilson poses with former Boston Red Sox player Bill Buckner, in this Thursday, March 29, 2001 file photo. Wilson's dribbler in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series famously went between Buckner's legs, allowing the Mets to win the game and ultimately go on to take the series
Facing the upstart New York Mets and holding a 3-2 series edge, the Red Sox took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 10th inning at Shea Stadium in Queens.
Red Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi got two quick outs, bringing the franchise to the brink of its first World Series win since 1918.
Then, after yielding singles to catcher Gary Carter and pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell, Schiraldi gave up an RBI single to third baseman Ray Knight and was promptly pulled in favor of Bob Stanley by manager John McNamara.
Facing Mets centerfielder Mookie Wilson, Stanley threw a wild pitch that allowed Mitchell to score from third, tying the game at 5.
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Buckner was 36 at the time, and had typically been removed late in games for a better defensive player.
On this occasion, though, Buckner remained in the game for what would become the most painful moment in Red Sox history.
A dribbler from Wilson rolled slowly up the first base line, and briefly seemed destined to end the inning, but instead the ball slipped between Buckner's legs and Knight scored the winning run.
Boston lost Game 7, 8-5.
'We had developed a friendship that lasted well over 30 years,' Wilson said in a statement on Monday. 'I felt badly for some of the things he went through. Bill was a great baseball player whose legacy should not be defined by one play.'
The Red Sox ultimately ended their World Series drought until 2004 when they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.
'I was in a stunned Boston clubhouse after Game 6 of the '86 World Series,' New York Times sportswriter Bill Pennington wrote on Twitter. 'Bill Buckner took the glare off the other Red Sox by standing at his locker and thoughtfully answering every question. Great teammate, great player, RIP.'
Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox made an error at the bottom of the 10 inning, in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium on October 25, 1986 in New York City. The error resulted in a 6-5 10th inning win for the Mets
(Left) Buckner is a picture of dejection as he leaves the field after committing an error on a ball hit by New York Mets Mookie Wilson which allowed the winning run to score in the sixth game of the World Series on October 25, 1986 in New York. (Right) Infielder Ray Knight is mobbed by his Mets teammates after he scored the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning
Buckner was back in Boston for the 1987 season, but was released in July after months of abuse that including heckling and even death threats.
Although the fans were notoriously brutal to Buckner, who moved his family to Idaho after retirement, the Red Sox players were supportive of their teammate.
'No one played harder than Bill. No one prepared themselves as well as Bill Buckner did, and no one wanted to win as much as Bill Buckner,' right fielder Dwight Evans later said.
The Boston media was not as forgiving.
'When that ball went through Bill Buckner's legs, hundreds of thousands of people did not just view that as an error, they viewed that as something he had done to them personally,' longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan once said.
Buckner returned to Boston's Fenway Park for the 2008 home opener, after the Red Sox had won their second World Series in four years. He received a two-minute standing ovation before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Former Dodgers teammate and longtime major league manager Bobby Valentine expressed his grief on social media
Buckner (left) is pictured alongside Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda (near left), first baseman Steve Garvey (near right) and utility player Bobby Valentine (far right)
Bobby Valentine (right) posted a picture of himself with Buckner on Twitter
'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,' Buckner said when he returned to Fenway. 'For what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I've done that and I'm over that.'
'I thought [that] was kind of a healing moment, it seemed, for a lot of people and maybe for him, I hope,' Indians manager and former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, told reporters before Monday's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. 'You have to be up here to understand how people take things that happen. I thought that was a really cool moment.'
A second-round pick in the 1968 MLB Draft, Buckner played for the Dodgers (1969-76), Cubs (1977-84), Red Sox (1984-87, 1990), California Angels (1987-88) and Kansas City Royals (1988-89).
Buckner batted better than .300 in seven seasons, including a National League-leading .324 clip in 1980. He also led the NL in doubles in his All-Star season of 1981 (35) and 1983 (38) and retired after the 1990 season with a .289 lifetime average and 2,715 hits, 174 homers, 498 doubles, 1,077 runs and 1,208 RBIs in 2,517 games
Buckner batted better than .300 in seven seasons, including a National League-leading .324 clip in 1980. He also led the NL in doubles in his All-Star season of 1981 (35) and 1983 (38) and retired after the 1990 season with a .289 lifetime average and 2,715 hits, 174 homers, 498 doubles, 1,077 runs and 1,208 RBIs in 2,517 games.
Former Dodgers teammate and longtime major league manager Bobby Valentine expressed his grief on social media. '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,' Valentine tweeted.
'I am extremely heartbroken and deeply hurt as I just received the sad news of the passing of my 82/83 Cubs teammate Bill Buckner this morning,' pitcher Ferguson Jenkins wrote on Twitter. 'Bill worked tirelessly with my Fergie Jenkins Foundation. Condolences to his family.'
Keith Hernandez, a member of the 1986 Mets who battled Buckner for the 1980 N.L. batting title with the St. Louis Cardinals, expressed his grief on Twitter: 'I am so saddened to hear of Bill Buckner's death... I know from my mother who also suffered from dementia, that he is in a better place.'
'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Buckner, a great ballplayer and beloved member of the Cubs family,' Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said. 'After his playing days, Bill served as a valued member of our player development staff and was a fan favorite during his appearances at our Cubs Conventions. On behalf of the Cubs organization, I extend our sympathies to Bill's family and his many friends.'
Buckner passed away nearly 35 years to the day after the Cubs traded him to Boston for pitcher Dennis Eckersley.
Buckner is survived by his wife, Jody, and three children, Brittany, Christen and Bobby.
In 2008, Buckner described his emotions returning to Fenway: '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.'
