SPOKANE, Wash. — Bill Buckner, a legendary slugger for the Boston Red Sox who committed an infamous error in the 1986 World Series, passed away on Monday at the age of 69.
Buckner was best known for his time with the Boston Red Sox, but also spent some time in Spokane playing for the Spokane Indians, according to a tweet from the team Monday evening.
"We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of legendary Spokane Indians player Bill Buckner. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in this difficult time," the tweet read.
According to Baseball Reference, Buckner played for the Spokane Indians in 1969 and 1970, when they were a triple-A club in the Pacific Coast League. Buckner was 19 in his first season with the team.
The team was an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time, according to Baseball Reference. The site lists him as appearing in 36 games his first season and 111 games the second season.
Buckner was an All-Star and finished his career with 2,715 hits. He also won a National League batting title.
He may best be known for committing an error in the 1986 World Series as a member of the Boston Red Sox when he let a routine ground ball pass between his legs against the New York Mets. The Red Sox would go on to lose the series, and their World Series drought would last until 2004.
