The baseball world lost a great one Monday morning.
Twenty-two year Major League Baseball veteran Bill Buckner died after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He was 69 years old.
Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family. 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."
Bill was 69.— Jeremy Schaap (@JeremySchaap) May 27, 2019
Buckner broke into the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers before spending time with the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, California Angels and Kansas City Royals. The former first baseman, who won the National League batting title in 1980, owns 2,715 career hits and a .289 lifetime batting average.
The Vallejo, Calif., native lives in baseball infamy for his rare fielding miscue in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and New York Mets. Buckner eventually returned to Fenway Park on Opening Day 2008 when he threw out the first pitch before a raucous standing ovation from Boston fans.
Countless members of the sports world mourned the loss of Buckner upon hearing the news.
RIP: Bill Buckner, a dignified man who handled his (largely unfair) place in MLB history with uncommon grace, even humor. A whopping 2,715 hits don’t lie. But what also doesn’t lie is the beautiful kinship he shared with Mookie Wilson. The two men together always made me smile. pic.twitter.com/KLOqyZfbXZ
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) May 27, 2019
I was as happy for Bill Buckner when the #RedSox won the World Series in 2004 than I was for anybody. Needlessly lived with the video of that error for 18 years. https://t.co/IqFVpbDhOr
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) May 27, 2019
Terrible news. Bill Buckner always handled his place in history from October 1986 with such grace. He also had an incredible career around all that. https://t.co/qcVEOFQVSn
— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) May 27, 2019
RIP Bill Buckner, a tremendous man and true class act.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 27, 2019
