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Bill Buckner

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For the Major League Baseball pitcher, see Billy Buckner.
Bill Buckner
Bill Buckner at Wrigley Field on June 11, 1981
First baseman
Born: (1949-12-14) December 14, 1949 (age 74)
Vallejo, California
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
debut
September 21, 1969, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last appearance
May 30, 1990, for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Batting average.289
Hits2,715
Home runs174
Runs batted in1,208
Teams
Career highlights and awards

William Joseph Buckner (born December 14, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Despite winning a batting crown in 1980, representing the Chicago Cubs at the All-Star Game the next season and accumulating over 2,700 hits in his twenty year career, he is often remembered for a crucial fielding error during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, a play that has since been prominently entrenched into American sports lore.[1]

Early years

Born in in Vallejo, California, after graduation from Napa High School, Buckner was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. His friend, Bobby Valentine, was the Dodgers' first round pick. Upon signing with the Dodgers, Buckner was assigned to the Ogden Dodgers of the Pioneer League where he played for manager Tommy Lasorda. While playing minor league ball with the Dodgers, he briefly attended the University of Southern California and Arizona State University and became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Major league career

Los Angeles Dodgers

After two minor league seasons, in which he batted .323, Buckner made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a September call-up in 1969 at the age of 19. He appeared in just one game, September 21 against the San Francisco Giants, and popped out to second baseman Ron Hunt pinch hitting for Jim Brewer in the ninth inning.[2]

Buckner began the 1970 season with the Dodgers, but after batting just .121 with no home runs and no RBIs, he was returned to triple A Spokane. His .335 batting average with the Spokane Indians earned him a second chance, and he returned to the Dodgers when rosters expanded that September. He batted .257 in the months of September and October, with four RBIs and five runs scored.

Buckner earned a starting job with the Dodgers in 1971 as their opening day right fielder. Buckner also played some first base with the Dodgers, making 87 starts at first in 1973, but when Steve Garvey emerged as a Gold Glove first baseman and the National League's Most Valuable Player the following season, that came to an abrupt end. Buckner played a supporting role in a baseball milestone on April 8, 1974. Playing left field, Buckner climbed the fence in an attempt to catch Hank Aaron's 715th home run. He was shifted to left field permanently when the Dodgers acquired Reggie Smith from the St. Louis Cardinals on June 15, 1976. In his Dodger career, Buckner batted .289 with 38 home runs and 277 runs batted in in 773 games.

Chicago Cubs

Following the season, Buckner was traded to the Chicago Cubs with Ivan De Jesus and Jeff Albert for Rick Monday and Mike Garman. He'd suffered a staph infection in his ankle in 1976, so the Cubs shifted him to first base, where he remained for the final fourteen years of his career.

Whereas early indications seemed to indicate that the Dodgers got the better end of this deal as Monday was a centerpiece of the Dodgers clubs that went to the 1977 and 1978 World Series, Buckner soon emerged as something of a star for the beleaguered Cubs. Over his career in Chicago, he batted over .300 four times, leading the league in 1980 at .324, and was the Cubs' sole representative at the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[3]

On May 17, 1979, in a famous slugfest at Wrigley Field that included three homers by Dave Kingman and two by Mike Schmidt, Buckner went four-for-seven with a grand slam and seven RBIs.[4] When manager Herman Franks resigned late in the 1979 season, he made some negative comments about several players, including Buckner.[5]

Boston Red Sox

When former Rookie of the Year candidate Dave Stapleton's career began to sputter, the Boston Red Sox were in the market for a new first baseman, and struck a deal with the Cubs to acquire Buckner for Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley on May 25, 1984. The Red Sox were 19-25, and in sixth place in the American League East at the time of the trade, and improved to 67-51 the rest of the way to finish the season in fourth.

Buckner appeared in all 162 games for the Red Sox in 1985, and batted .299 with sixteen home runs and a career high 110 RBIs in the number two spot in Boston's line-up. Buckner was a prototypical contact hitter, and struck out just 36 times in 718 plate appearances to lead the league in that category (he also led the league in most at bats per strike out in 1980, 1982 & 1986, and placed second in 1979, 1981, 1983 & 1987). In 1985, he also set the Major League record for assists by a first baseman in a season with his 184th assist. His record stood for almost 25 years, in 2009, Albert Pujols broke the record with 185 assists by a first baseman.

In September 1986, Buckner hit .340 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs, while missing just three games in spite of chronic ankle soreness. Stapleton began seeing more playing time as a late inning defensive replacement for Buckner in September and October. Buckner, meanwhile, became the first major league player to wear Nike high-top baseball cleats professionally in an effort to relieve pressure from his ankles.

Buckner drove in over 100 runs for the second season in a row, and was a key member of the team that ran away with the American League East by 5.5 games. He entered Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series batting just .111 in the ALCS, and was 0-for-three in the game when he singled to start the 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.

1986 World Series

Buckner chases his misplayed ground ball as Wilson goes to first.
Main article: 1986 World Series

Boston was leading the heavily favored New York Mets three games to two in the 1986 World Series when Game Six of the series went into extra innings. For his part, Buckner was batting just .143 against Mets pitching, and was 0-for-5 in Game Six. When the 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 one, two and five.[6]

New York came back to tie the game with three straight two out singles off Calvin Schiraldi and 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, and the ball rolled under his glove, through his legs and into right field, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run.[7]

So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. Little roller up along first; Behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!

— NBC-TV's Vin Scully.

Here's the pitch to Mookie Wilson. Winning run at second. Ground ball to first, it is a run, an error! An error by Buckner! The winning run scores!

— CBS Radio's Jack Buck.

...and a ground ball, trickling, its a fair ball..gets by Buckner!! Rounding third, Knight! The Mets will win the ball game! The Mets win! They win! Unbelievable, the Red Sox in stunned disbelief!

— Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne, on WHN.

Boston led Game 7 of the World Series 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when New York scored three runs off Bruce Hurst (who had been named World Series Most Valuable Player before the Mets' improbable comeback in Game 6) to tie the game, and score three more off Schiraldi in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead. Buckner was two-for-four in the game, and scored one of two runs the Sox plated in the eighth. However, the comeback fell short, and the Mets won their second World Championship in franchise history.[8]

Fallout

Regardless of Schiraldi's ineffective pitching, Stanley's wild pitch or any of the other short-comings that spelled Boston's demise 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.[9] Buckner began receiving death threats, and was heckled and booed by his own home fans. The Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston acquired the nickname "The Bill Buckner Bridge" because cars pass unimpeded through the bridge's Y-shaped "legs."[10][11] 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 1987, and the first time he came to bat at Yankee Stadium during the regular season.[12] The Red Sox released Buckner on July 23, 1987 despite respectable numbers (a .273 batting average, two home runs and 42 RBIs through 95 games).

Career twilight

Upon his release from the Red Sox, Buckner signed with the team he helped defeat in the ALCS the previous October, the California Angels. For the remainder of the 1987 season, Buckner batted .306 and drove in 32 runs in just 57 games.

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 New York against the Yankees and Boston. He signed with the Kansas City 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.[13]

Forgiveness

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.[14] His return was short lived, as he retired on June 5 with a .186 batting average, one home run and three RBIs.

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 four 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."[15]

Career stats

Buckner was a speedy baserunner, who twice finished in the top-ten in the league in stolen bases (1974 & 1976), and twice led the league in doubles (1981 & 1983). After moving to first base, he played 1,555 regular season games and made only 128 errors in 13,901 chances.

Seasons Games AB PA Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO Avg. OBP Slg. Fld%
22 2517 9397 10033 1077 2715 498 49 174 1208 183 450 453 .289 .321 .408 .991
Buckner signing autographs.

Post playing career

On January 4, 2011 Buckner was named the manager of the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League.[1]

Personal life

With his wife, Jody, Buckner has two daughters, Brittany & Christen, and a son, Bobby. Bobby is a member of the Texas Longhorns baseball team.[16] Buckner also has two brothers, Jim & Robert, who played minor league ball, never making it to the majors.

After Buckner retired from professional baseball he moved his family to Boise, Idaho, where he invested in real estate. One of the housing subdivisions which 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, Idaho, which was in business from 2006 to 2008.

Charlie Sheen purchased the "Buckner Ball" at auction in 1992 for $93,000, and it is currently in the collection of songwriter Seth Swirsky, who refers to it as the "Mookie Ball."[17] The ball is on loan from Swirsky to the Mets to display in their Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, and is among the most popular artifacts for fans to see. Buckner and Mookie Wilson have become business partners to some extent, attending autograph shows together and signing copies of a photo of the 1986 play that linked the two players.

Buckner makes a cameo at the beginning of the sports parody film The Comebacks. Coach Lambeau Fields, who was manager of the Red Sox in 1986, asked Buckner for an answer to a crossword puzzle, distracting him from the ball and thus resulting in the error. His famous miscue is also referenced in the film Rounders and Fever Pitch. In Rounders, when Matt Damon's character, Michael McDermott, returns to an underground poker game where he had lost $30,000 at the beginning of the film, in his voice over, McDermott says, "I feel like Buckner walking into Shea."[18] In Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon's character uses Buckner's error as one of the examples of the "Curse of the Bambino" to his new girlfriend (Drew Barrymore), but can't explain it, and can only blurt out the name, "Buckner!" as his friends all moan at the memory. Later, having lost her, he sits alone in his apartment, replaying the error over and over again on his VCR. His friends, worried about him, break into his apartment, and see it, and one yells, referencing the videotape of the game, "I thought you took that away from him!" He takes it out of the VCR, and asks Fallon's character if he has any more videos of Red Sox disasters: "Where's your stash?"

Among the countless other references in pop culture to Buckner's error is the episode Brother's Little Helper of The Simpsons, Bart gives Homer a book called "Chicken Soup for the Loser" that "gave Bill Buckner the courage to open a chain of Laundromats."[19] 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."[20]

Prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup match between England and the United States, former Liverpool FC star Steve McManaman, part of ESPN's broadcast team, predicted a 3-1 victory for England. Shortly before halftime, England goalkeeper Robert Green mishandled a Clint Dempsey shot and let it into the goal, which tied the score at 1-1. During the halftime break, ESPN analyst Mike Tirico told the studio hosts, "I was just explaining to Steve who Bill Buckner is." The match resulted in a 1-1 draw.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ron Smith, Foreword by Joe Morgan. "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments, #8 E-3". The Sporting News.
  2. ^ "San Francisco Giants 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3". Baseball-Reference.com. 1969-09-21.
  3. ^ "1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. 1981-08-09.
  4. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 23, Chicago Cubs 22". Baseball-Reference.com. 1979-05-17.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Paul (1999-05-16). "History Shows Tirades Nothing New Around Wrigley Field". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ^ Bill Simmons (2002-10-14). "Buckner Deserves Some Peace". ESPN.
  7. ^ "1986 World Series, Game six". Baseball-Reference.com. 1986-10-25.
  8. ^ "1986 World Series, Game seven". Baseball-Reference.com. 1986-10-27.
  9. ^ Stan Grossfeld (2003-10-23). "Error doesn't weigh: He's been a Sox scapegoat for 17 years, but Bill Buckner is at peace in Idaho". Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Richard Fabrizio (2003-07-27). "Company begins Memorial Bridge assessment soon". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  11. ^ Rob Pegoraro (2005-07-11). "Fast Forward". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  12. ^ "Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 2". Baseball-Reference.com. 1987-07-28.
  13. ^ "Boston Red Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 1". Baseball-Reference.com. 1988-07-15.
  14. ^ Ben Houser (2006-10-06). "Buckner: 'I try to look at it in a positive way'". ESPN.
  15. ^ Amalie Benjamin (2008-04-08). "An Emotional Day for Bill Buckner". Boston Globe.
  16. ^ Mike Finger (2006-11-09). "UT sign Bill Buckner's son".
  17. ^ Steve Zipay (2006-08-16). "The Buckner Ball: After getting by Buckner, it eventually was snared by fan who grew up on LI". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13.
  18. ^ "Rounders (screenplay)". Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  19. ^ http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF22
  20. ^ Greenspan Admits Errors to Hostile House Panel, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2008 (accessed Oct. 24, 2008)
Preceded by National League Batting Champion
1980 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Player of the Month
August 1982 		Succeeded by

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