Bill Buckner Error (1986)

Lore & Background

The error was long considered part of a curse on the Red Sox that kept them from winning the World Series for 86 years, 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.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Shea Stadium was thick with humidity and suffocating tension. After twenty innings of grueling play, Buckner's legs felt like lead as he stood near first base, watching Mookie Wilson take his final swing. The ball left the bat—a slow, chipping grounder that looked destined for a routine out. Buckner moved forward, glove low, ready to scoop it and step on the bag to end the game. But as he bent, the ball seemed to defy physics, slipping just beneath his mitt and racing past his feet into right field. The stadium erupted in a cacophony of red and blue chaos while Buckner stood frozen, staring at the empty space where the out should have been, the silence of his own realization louder than the roar around him.

Reader's Guide

It only states that Buckner's error occurred in the tenth inning of Game 6 and that it was a memorable play.

Did You Know?

• Buckner started 161 games during the 1985 season and set a career high with 184 assists, though he did not previously hold the record for most assists by a first baseman in a season.
• He led his league in assists four times, but his 1985 mark of 184 assists is not the American League record for assists by a first baseman in a season.
• Buckner became the 21st player in major league history to play in four decades.