Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1998 | 10:10 a.m.
He won the National League batting title in 1980 with a .324 average.
He was selected to the 1981 National League All-Star team.
He finished his 22-year major league career with 2,715 career hits, 498 doubles, 1,208 RBI and 1,077 runs, and garnered his share of Hall of Fame votes.
But ask Bill Buckner what the highlight of his major league career was, and you might be surprised.
"Playing in the World Series," he replies.
You might be surprised because it was Buckner's infamous error on a 10th inning Mookie Wilson grounder in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series that allowed Ray Knight to scamper across home plate, the winning run in a 6-5 New York Mets victory.
It's a play that has been replayed countless times on television and, unforunately for Buckner, became something of a defining moment for his otherwise brilliant career.
The tapper between the legs looked like one an average Little Leaguer could field. And when the Mets went on to win the series, it was Buckner who became the scapegoat in Beantown.
Never mind that Boston had a 5-3 lead with two outs in the 10th when Calvin Schiraldi gave up three straight singles to cut the lead to 5-4.
Never mind that reliever Bob Stanley uncorked a wild pitch that tied the game a few moments later, putting Knight in scoring position.
Never mind that the Red Sox held a 3-0 lead in Game 7 that Schiraldi and company would blow in a 8-5 loss.
And never mind that Buckner, who carried the Red Sox for much of August and September en route to 102 RBIs, probably shouldn't have been playing because of a partially torn Achilles tendon that limited his mobility.
Someone had to be blamed for the Red Sox folding again. The "Curse of the Bambino" stuff was getting old. And Buckner was the easy target.
"Boston can be a tough place to live," said the 48-year-old Buckner, who was in Las Vegas to help with the Sport Buff Network's 1998 Fantasy Baseball National Championships at the Tropicana hotel-casino.
"(The World Series) is where you want to go. I didn't quite get (the world championship) ... I was one game, one pitch away from winning it all. But a lot of guys don't get that far."
Buckner, who still looks in good enough to shape to play nine innings in the big leagues, said he has managed to put the miscue behind him and live a normal life.
"I don't think about it unless someone brings it up," he said. "You do see it on TV a lot, though.
"I was playing golf with (Las Vegan and former Red Sox teammate) Marty Barrett and we were talking about it," Buckner continued. "I think it's kind of funny that it's really brought up that much.
"The game was tied. I don't even know if we would have gone on to win, anyway. Some things happened before that play that let (the Mets) tie the game up that I wouldn't say were even more important. ... But when you have a lead in that situation and something happens, which it did. ...
"Hey, it was a team effort," Buckner said with a shrug.
"I helped the team get there. Baseball's not a predictable sport and things happen. The higher you get, the bigger the fall sometimes.
"When you look at the series, it was something that happened that was important. There were a lot of things that happened that were just as important. But (the error) sure has gotten a lot of attention."
Like from actor Charlie Sheen, who reportedly shelled out $1 million for the ball that Buckner booted, to add to his sports memorabilia collection.
"If I knew it was worth that much after I missed it, I would have run after it," Buckner says, shaking his head. "It's crazy. I don't understand it, but hey, whatever. Life goes on."
These days Buckner owns a General Motors dealership in Salmon, Idaho, called "Bill Buckner Quality Motors." He also coached his 9-year-old son, Bobby, in Little League, and is spending time at his home in Meridian (just outside Boise) with wife, Jody, and daughters, Brittany (16), and Christen (14).
"This was actually my first year out of professional baseball since 1968," said Buckner, a coach in the Toronto organization for four seasons (1992-95) and hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox for two (1996-97). "I'm coaching Little League and I had a great time doing it. I could see myself doing that for a couple more years."
He said he only watched "five or six" baseball games this season.
"I saw Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run," Buckner said. "But that was the only one I saw him hit all year.
"Right after that, I went out in the woods elk hunting for three weeks. When I came back out, he had 70. I couldn't believe it. I thought he might get 65, but 70? That's just unbelieveable."
Buckner was asked how his kids cope with the topic of his 1986 error when it appears on TV.
"We don't really talk about it," he said. "My kids, it's not something they should have to deal with. They're proud of their dad. Their dad had a great career. We try to leave it at that.
"Yeah, it was tough to deal with because we were so close to winning the World Series. That made it difficult. But it's just how you look at yourself in the mirror. And I have no problem looking at myself in the mirror these days."
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