“FENWAY'S BEST PLAYERS”


 
1984-1987, 1990
BILL BUCKNER

Bill Buckner started his major league career with the Dodgers in 1971 and played with them until 1976 when he was traded to the Cubs. In 1980 he was an All-Star and won the NL batting title with a .324 average.

Buckner was a speedy baserunner until he had ankle surgeries in 1975 and 1976 for a severe ankle sprain and to remove bone chips. He twice finished in the top 10 in the National League in stolen bases and twice led the league in doubles.

In 1984, the Red Sox were in the market for an upgrade at first base and in May acquired Buckner from the Cubs for Dennis Eckersley. In September he had a five-hit game in an 8–0 road win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Buckner batted .299 in 1985 while posting career highs with 110 RBIs, 201 hits, and 46 doubles. He struck out just 36 times in 719 plate appearances to lead the American League. He also established a major league record for assists by a firstbaseman with 184 in a season.

In September of 1986, he hit .340 with 18 homers, while missing just three games despite chronic ankle soreness, and was a key leader of the team that won the American League East.

During the postseason, he was 3–for–6 in the final two games of the ALCS, helping the Sox come back from the brink of elimination to defeat the California Angels and win the American League pennant.

In the World Series against the Mets, the Sox led the series three games to two, were up 5-3 and Buckner was 2–for–4. He was often replaced at first base by Dave Stapleton late in games, but John McNamara chose to leave him in the field for some reason, as the game went into the bottom of the tenth inning.

Then Mookie Wilson hit the infamous grounder that dribbled up the first-base line and went underneath his glove, and through the legs, leading to a 6-5 Mets win. The Mets went on to win the World Series by taking the seventh game and Buckner undeservedly became the scapegoat for the team’s hard-luck loss.

The Sox released him midway through the next season, but he briefly returned in 1990 as a free agent and received a standing ovation from the crowd during the player introductions of the Sox home opener at Fenway.

Buckner's last home run came on April 25, 1990, at Fenway Park. It was the only inside-the-park home run of his career. His return to Fenway was short-lived, as he retired in June with just a .186 batting average.

After his retirement, Buckner and his family moved to Idaho, out of the media spotlight. The Sox fans eventually forgave and even embraced him, however. In April 2008, when he threw out the first pitch to Dwight Evans at the Sox home opener and watched as they unfurled their 2007 World Series championship banner, he received a two-minute standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.

Bill Buckner played in 1,555 regular-season games made only 128 errors in 13,901 chances, and finished with a .289 career batting average.

After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27, 2019 surrounded by his family.