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The Baseball World Mourns the Loss of Bill Buckner and More

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

There was sad news out of Boston on Memorial Day. The baseball world lost one of its legends with the passing of Bill Buckner. Buckner was derided as a goat for years by Red Sox fans after his error in the 1986 World Series helped the New York Mets come back to win the series, and that one mistake overshadowed a fantastic career. Buckner had 2,715 hits over a 22-year career in the majors, but sadly his name was associated with a single memory far too often for a player with his success.

There have been touching tributes from all corners of the baseball world following Buckner’s passing. The 1980 NL batting champ posthumously received touching messages from Bobby Valentine, Mookie Wilson, and many others.

The A’s have now won 10 in a row, and Oakland is in the middle of its longest winning streak in 13 seasons. They are still well-behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the AL West, but they have made up ground and are tied with Boston for the final wildcard spot in the American League.

Over the years, Major League Baseball has tried to spice up the All-Star Game in a number of ways. They are trying something new this year too by taking a page from politics. For the first time ever, there will be a primary vote to determine the top three vote-getters at each position, and then there will be a 28-hour run-off to decide the starter. Preliminary voting is open until June 21.

The Cincinnati Reds are the unluckiest team in either league through the first third of the season. Cincinnati is in last place in the NL Central despite having a +36 run differential, and their Pythagorean numbers indicate they should have six more wins than they do. Don’t be surprised if they turn it around and make a real run in the coming weeks.

Top Stories

  • Bill Buckner dies at 69 after battling dementia | ESPN
  • A’s win 10th straight game — for now | MLB
  • New MLB All-Star vote begins with ‘primary’ | ESPN
  • The Reds are the most interesting last-place team in baseball | Sporting News

Written by Jonathan Willis

Jonathan Willis has written on virtually every sport imaginable over the last decade. His specialties are college football, eSports, politics, the NFL and the NHL. He is always looking for soft markets to pounce on, and he will have you in the black by the end of the year.

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