Bud Harrelson

Lore & Background

Harrelson was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in an unspecified year. He was the only person to take part in both of the Mets' World Series championships and appear in the first three World Series for the team; he won in 1969 and appeared in the 1973 World Series as a player and in 1986 as a coach. Harrelson is also the only person in Mets history to have appeared in four playoff seasons: as a player in 1969 and 1973 and as a coach in 1986 and 1988.

Reader's Guide

Harrelson was born in Niles, California, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. His nickname of "Bud" came from his younger brother, who had trouble saying his name and instead called him "brother", which was shortened to "Bud". Harrelson was raised in Hayward, California, where he attended Sunset High School, graduating in 1962. He enrolled at San Francisco State University and, after one year, signed with the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1963. The Mets promoted Harrelson to the major leagues on September 1, 1965, and he made his debut the following day. Harrelson anchored the Mets' infield for 13 seasons, including their championship season and pennant-winning season. Weighing only 165 lbs, Harrelson received the nicknames of "Twiggy", "Mighty Mouse" and "Mini Hawk" from his teammates. He had a lifetime batting average of .236 and hit a total of seven home runs during his 15-year major league career, but had a lifetime .969 fielding percentage and won a Gold Glove Award at his position in an unspecified year. He was a National League All-Star in 1970 and 1971. On May 28, 1969, after a five-game losing streak, Harrelson hit an RBI single that won the game, beginning an 11-game winning streak. In the 1969 postseason, his two hits in the NLCS included a go-ahead triple and an RBI double. During the 1973 NLCS, a comment by Harrelson led to a confrontation with Pete Rose and a bench-clearing brawl. After the Mets reacquired Tim Foli, Harrelson was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on March 23, 1978. The Phillies released him before the 1980 season, and he signed with the Texas Rangers in May after Rusty Staub broke a finger. After retirement, Harrelson joined the Mets' coaching staff as a first-base coach and infield instructor for the 1982 season. During the 1983 season, he substituted for Steve Zabriskie as a broadcaster on 60 Mets games covered by WWOR-TV. He managed the Little Falls Mets in an unspecified year and was named the New York–Penn League manager of the year. He managed the Columbia Mets in an unspecified year. When Bobby Valentine left, Harrelson replaced him on Davey Johnson's coaching staff. Harrelson was a coach during the 1986 World Series championship season and replaced Johnson as manager 42 games into the 1990 season. He led the Mets to a 91–71 record.

Did You Know?

• Harrelson was part-owner and manager of the Long Island Ducks in their inaugural season in 2000.
• He appeared as himself in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.