This past Thursday was a very sad day for baseball fans as former New York Mets Shortstop and Long Island Ducks Legend Bud Harrelson died at a hospice home in East Northport at the age of 79.
“We were saddened to learn of Mets Hall of Famer Buddy Harrelson’s passing," Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a press release made by the Mets Thursday morning. "He was a skilled defender and spark plug on the 1969 Miracle Mets. The Gold Glove shortstop played 13 years in Queens, appearing in more games at short than anyone else in team history. Buddy was the third base coach on the 1986 World Champs, becoming the only person to be in uniform on both World Series winning teams. We extend our deepest condolences to his entire family.”
Before Harrelson – who was born on D-Day in 1944 – became a fan favorite in Queens, he was just Derrell Harrelson, a scrappy and undersized shortstop for San Francisco State University.
Everything changed for the Bay Area native in 1963 as he would sign an amateur free agent deal with the MLB’s newest expansion franchise, the New York Mets.
“Bud”, as he was called by his family members, spent two years in the minor leagues before he made his debut in Queens during the 1965 season. That season was monumental for him as he became a cornerstone piece for the franchise moving forward as he would remain the starting shortstop until the end of the 1977 season.
The Mets at the time were one of the biggest laughing stocks in all of sports from 1962-1968. They would set records for ineptitude as five of their first seven seasons saw the team lose 100 or more games while never finishing close to .500.
Over his 12 seasons as a Met, Harrelson hit to a .234 batting average while making two All-Star Games in 1971 and 1972. He also won a Gold Glove in 1971 for his superb defensive play which he was known for.
“There wasn’t a play he couldn’t make at short," said former Mets outfielder Ron Swoboda in Newsday following the news of Harrelson’s passing. "When I played left he saved me so many times, coming back to catch pop-ups. We must have had 50 collisions and he never complained once.”
Despite winning a ring in 1969, the moment of Harrelson’s career that was most memorable happened during the 1973 National League Championship against the Cincinnati Reds when he started a fight with the All-Time Hits Leader – and should be Hall of Famer – Pete Rose.
After John Matlack shut down the “Big Red Machine” in game two of the series, Harrelson told reporters that “He (Matlack) made the Big Red Machine look like me hitting today,” since he wasn’t known for his hitting ability.
Rose apparently was not a huge fan of being compared to a guy who was considered a below average hitter as he would take issue in the fifth inning of game three as the hit king slid hard into second base on a double play ball. Harrelson was not happy about this and a fight between the two broke out, leading for the benches to clear and the fans at Shea Stadium began throwing bottles and other debris onto the field at Rose.
The Mets would finish out the series with the Reds with a victory and a shot at another World Series title. Unfortunately, the Mets would blow a 3-2 series lead and would go on to lose in seven games to the Oakland Athletics, missing out on their second championship in five years.
After wrapping up his playing career with the Rangers in 1980, Harrelson managed the Little Falls Mets (a minor league team) in 1984 and was named the New York-Penn League manager of the year. He also managed the Columbia Mets of the South Atlantic League in 1985.
When Mets third base coach Bobby Valentine accepted a managerial position with the Texas Rangers part way through the 1985 season, Harrelson replaced him on Davey Johnson's coaching staff and was once again a part of the Mets clubhouse.
Harrelson was also on the Major League Coaching Staff when the Amazin’s would make it back to the World Series in 1986 and defeated the Boston Red Sox to secure the team's second World Series, making him the only player in franchise history to be a part of both World Series Winning teams.
Harrelson would stay on the staff into the 1990s as he would replace the legendary Davey Johnson in the middle of the 1990 season as the head coach, guiding the team to their 7th consecutive winning season.
Despite the success the year prior and the Mets being contenders for most of the first half of the season in 1991, the team collapsed under Harrelson in the second half. As a result of the failure, he was fired with a week remaining in the season, being replaced by his third base coach Mike Cubbage. His second season ended with a 74–80 record; the Mets themselves in total finished at 77–84, one-half game behind the fourth place Chicago Cubs after being as close as 2.5 games behind the eventual division winning Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the year.
After his time with the Mets was over, the former All-Star would co-found the Long Island Ducks, a minor league team, alongside current acting CEO Frank Boulton. This move would be monumental as this brought professional baseball to Long Island and the team has been the class of the Atlantic League since its inception. He also served as a coach during the team’s home games for the 2000 season as well.
“Bud’s impact on Long Island will be felt through Ducks baseball for as long as we play,” said Ducks Owner/CEO Frank Boulton in a statement made Thursday afternoon. “He was my partner in bringing professional baseball to Long Island following his outstanding playing career in MLB and he made his mark on so many through his charitable giving, appearances and kindness. He was a one-of-a-kind human being, and he is missed greatly.”
Harrelson took great pride in the Ducks as the East Northport resident was often spotted in the park taking pictures with fans and enjoying the life of being a co-owner of a successful Minor League Team.
“I’m often asked about my best accomplishment in baseball,” Harrelson said during a speech at Hofstra University in 2012. “And I answer, ‘The Long Island Ducks.’ I say it is the best thing I’ve ever done because the fans know me, and I know them.”
Harrelson had been battling Alzheimer's since 2016 and it did not slow down the baseball legend from making public appearances as he attended an event at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip as the Ducks would retire Harrelson’s number 3 in 2018. He also made one more appearance at Citi Field in 2019 to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the 1969 Mets World Series Victory.
Harrelson is survived by his ex-wife, Kim Battaglia, his five children, Kimberly Psarras and husband John, Timothy Harrelson and wife Diana, Alexandra Abbatiello and husband Tony, Kassandra Harrelson and wife Serena, and Troy Harrelson and wife Arianna, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.