Twenty-two years ago, on a day that shall live in infamy, a man named William Joseph "Bill" Buckner committed an egregious error on a world stage, a colossal mistake to dwarf all others. It mattered not that this transgression took place on something as trivial as a baseball field. For to many -- including the long-suffering fans of the baseball team on which Mr. Buckner played, who had not celebrated a World Series victory for sixty-eight years -- the stage was far from trivial. It was, to put it simply, larger than life.
It was October 25, 1986. Mr. Buckner's team, the Boston Red Sox led the New York Mets in Game 6 of the World Series 3 games to 2. One more victory would win the World Series and give the dry, cracked throats of Red Sox fans a much-needed quaff. Boston had a two-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning. Boston was one out away, one strike away, from victory. Then, in a shocking turn of events, the Mets tied the game with three straight singles and a wild pitch.
At this moment, Mr. Buckner was playing first base. Normally in this situation, with the Red Sox tied or ahead in late innings, the Boston manager would replace Buckner with Dave Stapleton, a younger, more agile first baseman. You see, Billy Buck was 36 in October 1986, fairly old for a baseball player. He had gimpy knees and ankles so weak that he played virtually the entire season with these hideous black hightops, which gave support to his sore ankles but impaired his running. But the Boston manager was a sentimental fellow, and he had a special place in his heart for Billy Buck, who played balls-to-the-wall the entire season, hit .340 and had 22 RBIs in the month of September alone, and almost single-handedly got the Red Sox into the playoffs. The Boston manager wanted Billy Buck on the field when the Red Sox won it all for the first time in 68 years.
Things did not go according to plan. With the game tied, Mets player Mookie Wilson fouled off several pitches before hitting a ground ball to Buckner at first base. Here's what happened next:
Dang, seeing that still makes me wince. The slow-rolling ball dipped under Buckner's glove, through his legs, and into right field. It's still the most famous error in baseball history. Maybe in all of sports. And it changed Bill Buckner's life forever. Imagine your most embarrassing moment. The time you sneezed and blew snoggles on your friend. The time you got dumped in public. The time you ran an entire 3-mile cross country race with your nylon runners shorts inside out (that one's mine). Now imagine the entire country watching your fuckup. The media asking you about it day after day. Replaying it on ESPN night after night for months. Seeing it played again in every World Series when any player commits a seemingly significant error.
Charlie Sheen paid $93,000 for that ball.
Buckner retired from baseball in 1990 and was forced to move his family to Boise, Idaho to escape the abuse from baseball fans and the media. And for years afterwards, Bill Buckner's downcast face after that error became a symbol for failure, for the Red Sox consistently finding a way to lose on the biggest stage, at the loudest moment. "Pulling a Buckner" became synonymous for fucking something up royally. It wasn't nice, it wasn't fair, it just was.
Ignored in all of this, of course, were the man's respectable stats in a very successful, 21-year baseball career: .289 batting average, 2715 hits, and 1208 RBIs. People don't remember the things you did well, of course. They only remember your mistakes. That's life, baby!
But there's a happy ending. In 2004, the Red Sox won the World Series after an 86-year drought. When that happened, the albatross was finally lifted, and people began to take a second look at Bill Buckner and the way he was treated. Perhaps we were too harsh on the man, said Boston fans. Maybe it wasn't all his fault that the Red Sox lost in '86. I mean, the game WAS tied already, after all, and they'd already blown a two-run lead for goodness sake. No man deserves such vitriol, such hatred, such humiliation. Certainly not a decent, stand-up guy (ahem) like Bill Buckner.
They invited him back to participate in the celebration after Boston won the World Series. It was a gesture of healing after too many years of pain. Bill wouldn't come, said he had other commitments. His feelings were still raw, even after 22 years. Some wounds don't heal easily.
Boston won the World Series again last year. (Woot! woot!) This time they invited Bill to come back to Fenway Park and throw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the season. This time, he came:
Someone pass me a tissue.
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