On January 11, former Mets player, coach, and manager Bud Harrelson passed away. Harrelson had quite a run in the Mets’ organization, including holding the distinction of being the only person to wear a Mets’ uniform for both their 1969 and 1986 world championships.
Although he was a gifted defender, the native of Niles, California, won just one gold glove during his 16 major league seasons. He ended his career with a fielding percentage of .976, playing the vast majority of his games at shortstop. Harrelson was generally a light hitter, ending his career with a slash line of .236/.327/.615. Small in stature (five feet, eleven inches tall, and 160 pounds), Buddy ran well (127 career stolen bases) and was a skillful bunter.
Bud Harrelson, Ed Kranepool.
Many associated with the Mets’ organization, including Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling, have expressed their memories of the team’s primary shortstop from 1967-1977. The themes of their comments have been very consistent. Harrelson was a good player, but his value was more than his slash line or his outs above average. He was a genuinely nice man, a hard worker, a great teammate, and a competitor who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.
Here are some memories from a fan who was lucky enough to see some of his career in real time. One thing that jumps out immediately is that former broadcaster, the late Lindsey Nelson, would seemingly remind the audience every game that Harrelson was born on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
In the 1973 season, the Mets had a remarkable September run to the World Series. They took down the mighty Cincinnati Reds in the National League Championship Series, setting up a date with the reigning champion Oakland Athletics. The Mets lost Game One, and of course, needed a win in Game Two. The game went to extra innings. Harrelson led off the tenth inning with a single and was on third with one out when Felix Millan hit a fly ball to fairly shallow left field. Left fielder Joe Rudi made the catch, and Bud decided to challenge the throw with his great speed.
Though he was called out, Harrelson certainly appeared to be safe. During the argument, he was ejected and said to the umpire, “You can’t throw me out because of your incompetence!” That was a glimpse at his fiery nature that endeared him to his teammates.
When Mets fans of a certain age think of Harrelson, their thoughts most often go to Game Three of the 1973 NLCS. Here’s the backstory. The Mets had great pitching, and in the first two games of the series (split one to one), Mets’ pitching held the Big Red Machine to two runs and eight hits. Harrelson quipped after Game Two that the Mets’ hurlers were making the Reds’ great hitters “look like a bunch of Bud Harrelsons.”
This did not land well, and the Reds went into Game Three with a chip on their shoulders. Pete Rose, attempting to break up a double play, went hard into second base, drawing Harrelson’s ire. A fight erupted, and it went like this.
That winter, Harrelson presented Rose with a “nice guy award” at a banquet, and said he threw his best punch at Rose, “hitting his fist with my eye.” His sense of humor was one of the reasons Bud was so popular wherever he went.
I’d like to close this with a semi-personal story. In the 1980s, a cousin of mine went to an awards dinner where Harrelson was among the honorees. My cousin happened to park near Harrelson, and they walked in at the same time, engaging in some light chit-chat. My cousin took the opportunity to express his admiration of Harrelson but said that he was a die-hard Yankees fan.
Later that night, my cousin was wandering around the parking lot, trying to remember where he parked (no car chirping back then). Harrelson went to his car and saw my cousin aimlessly roaming the parking lot. Bud yelled across the parking lot, “Hey buddy, it’s over here!” That’s a pretty nice gesture from an athlete and an honoree to some guy who expressed loyalty to the cross-town rivals.
It’s a sad day in the Mets’ organization. One of the team’s legends has passed on.
Rest in peace, Derrel McKinley Harrelson.
