Bill Buckner Dies At 69 Years Old After Battle With Dementia: Report

Bill Buckner played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball and played with five teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals. At just 69 years old, it was announced that Buckner had lost his battle with Lewy body dementia and passed away this morning, according to Sports Illustrated.

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

While Buckner has since been embraced by the Red Sox franchise, the former first baseman and outfielder had been the subject of ridicule thanks to an error he made in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series that eventually allowed the New York Mets to win the game. Buckner was one of the subjects of the ESPN 30 for 30 film Catching Hell which looked at scapegoats in sports, including Cubs fan Steve Bartman.

Buckner was a role model for many and it’s great to see that years later, Red Sox fans have put the incident behind them and allowed the former player to be such a large part of the franchise.