Bill Buckner, baseball player, 174 home runs, 1969-1990

Bill Buckner

Born: 12/14/1949 in Vallejo, CA, USA

Died: 5/27/2019 in Boise, ID, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-09-21 | Final Game: 1990-05-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: William Joseph Buckner

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Biography

Bill Buckner was a professional baseball player born in 1949, whose career spanned from 1969 to 1990. Known for his consistent hitting and versatile fielding abilities, Buckner played a total of 2,517 games in Major League Baseball. He accumulated 2,715 hits, showcasing a career batting average of .289, along with 174 home runs and 1,208 RBIs. A testament to his speed on the base paths, he also recorded 183 stolen bases throughout his career. Buckner was selected as an All-Star once, reflecting his impact during a competitive era in baseball. Buckner's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-friendly environment of the late 20th century. He was particularly known for his ability to make contact and drive in runs, contributing significantly to the teams he played for, including the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and the California Angels. Despite facing challenges, including a notable play in the 1986 World Series that overshadowed his impressive career, Buckner remained a respected figure in baseball history, remembered for his contributions on and off the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2517 9397 1077 2715 498 49 174 1208 183 450 453 0.289 0.321 0.408 0.729 4292.1

Career AVG .289 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +12.3% above league average.

Career OBP .321 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .408 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.729 vs. league average 0.706 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 LAD NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1970 LAD NL 28 68 6 13 3 1 0 4 0 3 7 0.191 .253 (-25%) .325 (-31%) .385 (-31%) .711 (-31%) -365.7
1971 LAD NL 108 358 37 99 15 1 5 41 4 11 18 0.277 .249 (+11%) .316 (-3%) .365 (avg) .682 (-2%) -172.0
1972 LAD NL 105 383 47 122 14 3 5 37 10 17 13 0.319 .243 (+31%) .310 (+12%) .353 (+16%) .664 (+14%) 876.4
1973 LAD NL 140 575 68 158 20 0 8 46 12 17 34 0.275 .256 (+7%) .325 (-9%) .378 (-7%) .703 (-8%) -1027.3
1974 LAD NL 145 580 83 182 30 3 7 58 31 30 24 0.314 .256 (+22%) .324 (+8%) .369 (+12%) .693 (+10%) 1042.4
1975 LAD NL 92 288 30 70 11 2 6 31 8 17 15 0.243 .257 (-6%) .327 (-13%) .374 (-4%) .701 (-8%) -522.6
1976 LAD NL 154 642 76 193 28 4 7 60 28 26 26 0.301 .255 (+18%) .320 (+2%) .360 (+8%) .681 (+5%) 452.6
1977 CHC NL 122 426 40 121 27 0 11 60 7 21 23 0.284 .264 (+8%) .329 (-5%) .401 (+6%) .730 (+1%) -43.3
1978 CHC NL 117 446 47 144 26 1 5 74 7 18 17 0.323 .257 (+25%) .323 (+7%) .378 (+11%) .702 (+9%) 634.5
1979 CHC NL 149 591 72 168 34 7 14 66 9 30 28 0.284 .265 (+7%) .329 (-3%) .397 (+10%) .727 (+4%) 267.1
1980 CHC NL 145 578 69 187 41 3 10 68 1 30 18 0.324 .264 (+22%) .326 (+8%) .387 (+18%) .714 (+13%) 1387.8
1981 CHC NL 106 421 45 131 35 3 10 75 5 26 16 0.311 .255 (+22%) .320 (+9%) .368 (+30%) .688 (+20%) 1386.1
1982 CHC NL 161 657 93 201 34 5 15 105 15 36 26 0.306 .261 (+17%) .324 (+5%) .388 (+14%) .712 (+10%) 1153.5
1983 CHC NL 153 626 79 175 38 6 16 66 12 25 30 0.280 .260 (+7%) .324 (-5%) .389 (+12%) .714 (+4%) 313.4
1984 CHC NL 21 43 3 9 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0.209 — — — — 0.0
1984 BOS AL 114 439 51 122 21 2 11 67 2 24 38 0.278 .259 (+7%) .322 (-1%) .384 (+7%) .707 (+3%) 0.0
1985 BOS AL 162 673 89 201 46 3 16 110 18 30 36 0.299 .257 (+16%) .323 (+1%) .390 (+14%) .714 (+8%) 821.5
1986 BOS AL 153 629 73 168 39 2 18 102 6 40 25 0.267 .257 (+4%) .325 (-4%) .395 (+7%) .720 (+2%) 4.8
1987 BOS AL 75 286 23 78 6 1 2 42 1 13 19 0.273 .262 (+4%) .331 (-10%) .415 (-23%) .746 (-17%) -923.9
1987 LAA AL 57 183 16 56 12 1 3 32 1 9 7 0.306 .262 (+16%) .331 (+2%) .415 (+4%) .746 (+3%) -923.9
1988 LAA AL 19 43 1 9 0 0 0 9 2 4 0 0.209 — — — — 0.0
1988 KCR AL 89 242 18 62 14 0 3 34 3 13 19 0.256 .254 (+1%) .317 (-9%) .377 (-7%) .695 (-8%) 0.0
1989 KCR AL 79 176 7 38 4 1 1 16 1 6 11 0.216 .254 (-15%) .319 (-25%) .375 (-29%) .694 (-27%) -861.5
1990 BOS AL 22 43 4 8 0 0 1 3 0 3 2 0.186 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
23 98 6 20 3 0 1 5 0 8 0.204

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1986 ALCS BOS 7 28 3 6 1 0 0 3 0 2 0.214
1986 WS BOS 7 32 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.188
1974 NLCS LAN 4 18 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0.167
1974 WS LAN 5 20 1 5 1 0 1 1 0 1 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1555 1505 13901 1351 128 1200
OF 644 607 1225 28 18 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 LAN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1970 LAN OF 20 16 36 1 0 1
1971 LAN 1B 11 7 70 6 0 4
1971 LAN OF 86 77 165 5 1 0
1972 LAN 1B 35 31 311 21 3 28
1972 LAN OF 61 57 123 1 1 0
1973 LAN 1B 93 87 888 50 2 93
1973 LAN OF 48 44 93 0 1 0
1974 LAN 1B 6 5 49 1 1 2
1974 LAN OF 137 129 235 4 6 0
1975 LAN OF 72 67 138 4 2 0
1976 LAN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1976 LAN OF 153 153 315 7 5 0
1977 CHN 1B 99 98 966 58 10 75
1978 CHN 1B 105 104 1075 83 6 85
1979 CHN 1B 140 140 1258 124 7 118
1980 CHN 1B 94 89 826 73 6 67
1980 CHN OF 50 49 90 5 2 2
1981 CHN 1B 105 105 996 81 17 92
1982 CHN 1B 161 161 1547 159 12 89
1983 CHN 1B 144 136 1366 161 13 132
1983 CHN OF 15 13 25 0 0 0
1984 CHN 1B 7 5 66 5 0 5
1984 CHN OF 2 2 5 1 0 0
1984 BOS 1B 113 113 974 96 15 75
1985 BOS 1B 162 162 1384 184 12 140
1986 BOS 1B 138 138 1067 157 14 104
1987 BOS 1B 74 73 605 58 6 53
1987 CAL 1B 5 5 35 2 0 1
1988 CAL 1B 1 0 1 1 0 1
1988 KCA 1B 21 18 160 12 1 11
1989 KCA 1B 24 20 181 13 3 19
1990 BOS 1B 15 8 75 6 0 6

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1556
Left Field 485
Right Field 171
Designated Hitter 125

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-09-12
1982 Player of the Month August
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-08-20
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-05-01
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-09-11
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-08-19

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1989 KCA AL $400,000
1988 CAL AL $400,000
1987 BOS AL $366,667
1987 CAL AL $62,500
1986 BOS AL $785,000
1985 BOS AL $747,500
Total Career Earnings $2,761,667

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 38.0 336 0
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 35.0 336 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 11.0 336 0
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 8.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 1.0 336 0