Bill Buckner's tenth-inning error[1] in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series with Buckner's Boston Red Sox against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York on October 25, 1986 remains one of the most memorable plays in baseball history; it was long considered part of a curse on the Red Sox that kept them from winning the World Series,[2][3] and led to years of fan anger and public mockery that Buckner handled graciously before being embraced by Red Sox fans again after their 2004 World Series victory.
The team's hitting and offense had remained strong with Dwight Evans, Bill Buckner, Don Baylor, and future Hall of Famers Jim Rice and Wade Boggs, who would win 5 batting titles.
Roger Clemens led the pitching staff, going 24–4 with a 2.48 ERA to win both the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards.
Although the Angels tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox won in the 11th on a Henderson sacrifice fly off Moore.
They won 20 of their first 24 games, clinched the East Division title on September 17, and finished the year 108–54, which tied with the 1975 Cincinnati Reds for the third highest win total in National League history, behind the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116) and the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (110).
In Game 6, the Mets turned a 3–0 ninth-inning deficit into a sixteen-inning marathon victory to clinch the National League pennant and earn their third World Series appearance, their first since 1973.
[7] After retiring Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez, Red Sox relief pitcher Calvin Schiraldi surrendered singles to the next three batters, Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight, to bring the score to 5–4 with runners on first and third.
As a result, the ball rolled beside his glove, through his legs, and into right field, allowing Knight to score the winning run from second base.
The ball went right through the legs of Buckner and the Mets with two men out and nobody on have scored three times to bring about a seventh game, which will be played here tomorrow night.
I've never seen nothing like it, Jack.Locally in Boston, radio coverage of the 1986 World Series was broadcast on WPLM with Ken Coleman and Joe Castiglione on the call.
[10]Locally in New York, radio coverage the 1986 World Series was broadcast on WHN with Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne on the call.
Thorne: Bob, what is Billy Buckner doing in the game in the bottom of the 10th inning?The 1986 World Series was televised by NBC with Vin Scully on the call alongside Joe Garagiola.
Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!Scully then remained silent for more than three minutes, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story.
The Commissioner's Trophy had been brought into the Red Sox clubhouse along with several bottles of champagne, and Bob Costas was to preside over the presentation.
However, after Bob Stanley's wild pitch in the bottom of the tenth, everything was quickly struck and removed from the room before the Red Sox returned.
Orosco then threw his glove high in the air and dropped to his knees while catcher Gary Carter ran to the mound to embrace him.
Buckner began receiving death threats and was heckled and booed by some of his own home fans, often with the false belief or implication that his play alone could have instantly won the series for the Red Sox.
[20] Meanwhile, he was the focal point of derision from the fans of opposing teams on the road—especially when he faced the Mets in spring training of 1987—and during his first regular-season at bat at Yankee Stadium.
[22] After spending his last few seasons with the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and the Red Sox, Buckner became the 21st player in MLB history to play in four decades.
With the club in fourth place midway through the 1988 season at the All-Star break, manager John McNamara was fired and replaced by Joe Morgan on July 15.
Immediately the club won 12 games in a row, and 19 of 20 overall, to surge to the AL East title in what would be referred to as Morgan Magic.
Ironically, the MVP of that Series was former Red Sox pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame player Dennis Eckersley, who saved all four wins for Oakland.
Both Strawberry and Gooden were youngsters who wound up burning out long before their time because of various substance abuse and personal problems.
Hernandez's cocaine abuse was the subject of persistent rumors even before he joined the Mets, but he publicly acknowledged his addiction in 1985 and made a successful recovery.
[26][27][28] Buckner made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the sports parody film The Comebacks and was featured in an episode of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which he redeems himself by catching a baby thrown from a burning building.”[29] Also, he made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode of the short-lived sitcom Inside Schwartz, advising the title character to "just let it go."
"[33] Buckner and Mookie Wilson appeared in an MLB Network commercial for the 2016 postseason, "Catching Up", marking the 30th anniversary of the 1986 World Series and their roles in it.
In the book, John Hodgman describes a (fictional) radio personality and recounts the premonition she had regarding Buckner's infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
[39] In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Padres cut the Cubs' lead to 3–2 with a pair of singles by Alan Wiggins and Tony Gwynn, a walk to Steve Garvey, and sacrifice flies by Graig Nettles and Terry Kennedy.
The play would also turn out to be very similar, in style and effect, to Bill Buckner's much-discussed error in the 1986 World Series.
The coincidental connection between these two events is that Durham had been moved from the outfield to first base during the 1984 season, replacing Buckner after the Cubs traded him to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Dennis Eckersley.