Bill Buckner, MLB and Boston Red Sox Star, Dead at 69

Major League Baseball icon Bill Buckner died Monday following a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He was 69 years old.

Buckner’s death was confirmed by ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap, who spoke with the retired Boston Red Sox player’s wife, Jody. She confirmed her husband’s passing in a statement, according to The Blast. In it, Jody touted her husband’s “courage” throughout his battle with the disease.

“After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family,” the statement read. “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.”

During his baseball career, Buckner played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. He’s most famous for playing for the Red Sox, however. Perhaps his most memorable moment with the team came in the 1986 World Series. During the 10th inning of the sixth game in the series, Buckner made a ground ball error that eventually resulted in the New York Mets winning the series, according to ABC 7.

Red Sox teammates didn’t blame Buckner for the error, which was purely accidental. According to ESPN, teammate Dwight Evans said after the incident that “No one played harder than Bill.”

“No one prepared themselves as well as Bill Buckner did, and no one wanted to win as much as Bill Buckner,” Evans said.

The error is remembered by many to this day, and lives on in videos. Fans can see the exact moment Buckner’s famous mistake occurred in the video below.

Buckner lived with his mistake, which followed him long after his career ended. He went on to appear on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring Larry David, where he poked fun at himself over the incident. During the episode, Buckner ran into David and he finally got the opportunity to make up for missing the ground ball and blowing the series.

While he didn’t give the Red Sox a win in the World Series, he did catch a baby falling from a window in the episode of the HBO comedy series.

Despite his on-field mistake, Buckner is viewed as a legend by sports fans everywhere, and will continue to be after his death. The New York Post reported that Buckner was a one-time All-Star. He accumulated more than 2,715 hits and managed more than 174 home runs during his career, which spanned from 1969-1990.

He is survived by his wife Jody, and their three children: Brittany Buckner, Bobby Buckner and Christen Buckner.