As many of you know, I’m a huge baseball fan. In fact, I’ve published three books about baseball with a fourth soon on the way. So, I couldn’t resist making today’s blog post about the Bill Buckner ground ball in the 1986 World Series. I just hope Red Sox fans don’t discontinue following the blog. It’s nothing personal, I promise.
October 26 of 1986 was the sixth game of the World Series. The Red Sox, bereft of a championship since 1918, led the series three games to two. When the 10th inning opened, the score was three runs apiece. Boston plated two men in the top of the 10th, however, and went to the bottom of the 10th needing just three outs to claim the series.
The first two men made outs. Victory was near. Then, however, the wheels fell off for Boston. Relief pitcher Calvin Schiraldi allowed three straight hits to Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, and Ray Knight. Carter scored. Boston Manager John McNamara replaced Schiraldi on the mound with Bob Stanley. Stanley promptly threw a wild pitch and Mitchell scored, tying the game once more.
That set the stage for the Bill Buckner ground ball. Outfielder Mookie Wilson dribbled the ball down the first base line. Buckner was in front of the ball, but it bounced through his legs and past him, allowing Knight to score the winning run. The Mets won game seven of the series as well, and Red Sox fans had to wait eighteen more years before celebrating a championship.
Aftermath of the Bill Buckner Ground
Ball
I’m saddened to report that many Red Sox fans never forgot the Bill Buckner ground ball or forgave Buckner for letting them down. Which, to be honest, is pathetically small-minded, considering baseball is a sport and an entertainment. If living vicariously through the exploits of an athlete you’ve never met means that much to you, a reshuffling of life priorities should be in order.
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Be that as it may, this also an opportunity for an examination of Buckner’s career in order to better understand baseball. People who defend his overall career point to 2,715 career hits and a .289 lifetime batting average as reasons we should remember Buckner for his play on the field rather than one poorly timed fielding error. Click here to examine his career in numbers.
Remember the Bill Buckner Ground Ball and Forget the Rest!
I disagree. There was nothing memorable about Buckner’s playing career other than how long it was. He played parts of twenty-two major league seasons and had zero seasons of 20+ home runs. Zero. For a first baseman, the premier offensive position in baseball, that is pathetic. Nor was he especially fast to make up for his lack of power, posting 183 stolen bases lifetime. Perhaps he had a good batting eye, drawing walks to reach base frequently? Exactly the opposite was true. His best season saw him walk a mere forty times. He had multiple seasons of fewer than twenty. Buckner also hit into 241 double plays, ranking him in the top fifty in baseball history in the most undesirable statistic for hitters.
When we account for everything, Buckner posted 15.1 Wins Above Replacement lifetime over twenty-two seasons. That means that in an average season, he was worth about three-quarters of one win more than a player his team could have acquired at little or no cost. This does not rank in the top 1,000 hitters in baseball history. Put another way, Aaron Judge has produced more value and more wins in three seasons than Buckner did
for his career.
So, let’s remember the Bill Buckner ground ball. It’s the most memorable thing about an otherwise bland and pedestrian career. But there is no need to crucify Buckner for one mistake. Baseball was, is, and always will be a game. We should treat it as such.
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