The Redemption of Bill Buckner

Finally. That’s what I thought when I read a story about Bill Buckner’s return to Fenway Park this week. In case you missed it, when Buckner threw out the first pitch, he received a loud and voracious standing ovation. Of course, the Red Sox recent World Series wins certainly placate the Boston faithful, but that moment must have been so immensely satisfying for the former first baseman after his infamous error in the 1986 ALCS turned him into one of the biggest baseball pariahs of all time.

What many people don’t remember is that Bill Buckner was drafted by the Dodgers in 1969 and was an incredible hitter, putting up near Hall of Fame type of numbers.  Buckner actually played in LA until 1976 when he was traded to Chicago with Ivan DeJesus for Rick Monday. Buckner simply defines the term “gamer.” As former Dodgers GM Fred Claire noted in a fantastic recent article, Buckner was actually the starting first baseman for the 1973 Dodgers before shifting to left field in mid-season to make for one Steve Garvey. I strongly encourage everyone to read this piece; Fred’s insight from the perspective of a Dodgers insider is really touching and special. Check out what Bill Russell had to say about Buckner (also from Fred’s article):

“Buckner was simply a great hitter,” said Russell. “He was very determined and he wanted to play every day. He wanted to be the very best player he could be. The only time he was upset was when he wasn’t in the starting lineup.

“There are so many stories about how intense Billy was as a player. I recall one time when he struck out against Phil Niekro for the final out of the inning and the catcher rolled the ball back toward the pitcher’s mound. When Billy took the field to go to first base, he jumped up and down on the ball.

“There was a time when he flipped his helmet after making an out, and when he saw the helmet was headed in the direction of Walter Alston in our dugout, he went diving head-first to get the helmet. Another time, he tried to pull up the first-base bag after making an out on a close play. He always played with an all-out effort and with emotion.”

Here’s the local take, courtesy of the Boston Globe.

To make things even more dramatic and heartwarming on Tuesday, the Boston crowd didn’t even know who was throwing out the first pitch. Most were there to simply see the team receive their latest World Series rings. Then the outfield gate opened and out hobbled an apprehensive Bill Buckner. The crowd erupted, and one man was relieved, vindicated and, most likely, at peace as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Finally.