Bobby Valentine Actually Broke Bill Buckner News With Beautiful Tribute on Twitter
By Zack Jiang
For many people, Bill Buckner will be remembered by his famous botched grounder in the 1986 World Series. However, Buckner was so much more than that moment, and had a Hall of Fame-worthy 22-year career in the MLB.
It was announced on Monday that Buckner passed away after a battling Lewy Body Dementia. His former teammate Bobby Valentine announced the news through a series of heartfelt tweets, hours before the rest of us heard from more standard sources.
The two were both drafted in 1969 by the Dodgers, just a round apart from each other. However, their time spent together wasn't very long, as Valentine was traded before the 1973 season.
Here's the duo during their time in Los Angeles, also tweeted this morning by Valentine.
Despite a short time together, the two developed a strong friendship over the years. They continued to maintain their friendship even after their careers.
Valentine also shared this photo of them of when he was a manager of the Mets. Buckner signed the photo, with a heartfelt message to Valentine.
Valentine's beautiful tribute to Buckner is how we should remember him. He was a great person and player.
For his career, Buckner finished with 2,715 hits. He was one of the top hitters in the '70s and '80s, and is a legend who will be missed.