Like Merkle, Snodgrass and Owens, Buckner's most famous act was a gaffe. But even more than the earlier goats, Buckner was a very good, perhaps great player. When he retired in 1990, he had the most hits---2,715--of any player then active. He played parts of four seasons after the horrific "wickets play" in the 1986 World Series, in which Mookie Wilson of the Mets hit a 10th inning grounder with the game tied and two outs of Game 6. The grounder crept under Buckner's glove, then slid between his ankles to score the winning run. Rather than winning the Series that day, the Red Sox lost, then lost again in Game 7. Buckner was booed unmercifully in Boston up until July of 1987, when he was released. A decade after the incident, Buckner was coaching a Red Sox farm club in New England and was still getting so much heat from the fans that he finally moved away for good.
Some say that Buckner's bad ankles, which caused his World Series average to dip to .188, after hitting .267 with 102 RBI during the regular 1986 season, signalled the demise of his career. Others claim that the psychological effects of the Mookie play cost him a shot at 3,000 hits.
Until THE error, Buckner was better remembered for the speed of his early career, his batting championship with the Cubs in 1980 (.324) and his consecutive 100-RBI years with Boston. He retired with a .289 average. At the end of 1986, his average was .297, on 2,589 hits.
When he first came up with the Dodgers in 1969, he held his own in foot races with legendary speedster, Willie Davis. Originally a first baseman, he was forced into the outfield when Ron Cey came up in 1973, moving Steve Garvery to first base. In 1975 Bill injured his ankle while sliding and was never again a major threat on the basepaths. Buckner was dealt to the Cubs in 1977, in the deal that brought Rick Monday to LA.
He was moved back to first and hit over .306 in four of the next five years, including his 1980 batting title. He led the NL in doubles in '81 and '83.
In '84, he was dealt to Boston and hit .299 with 110 runs. In '86, he hit a career best 18 homers, with 39 doubles and 102 RBIs. After Boston released him in July of '87, he played for Anaheim and Kansas City, retiring after the 1989 season.
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