Bud Harrelson Dies

Bud Harrelson — the only man in uniform for both of the Mets championships — has died. Harrelson passed away at age 79 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Harrelson couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag (a career .236 average with a whopping seven home runs), but he was still a force in Flushing. He was a two-time All-Star. a Gold Glove winner and even received MVP votes in three seasons.

He was a shortstop on the 1969 Miracle Mets, and the third base coach in 1986. He managed the team for most of 1990 and 1991 and is a member of the Mets Hall of Fame.

Of course, Harrelson is best known outside of New York for the fight he got into with Pete Rose during the 1973 NLCS. The much bigger Rose got the best of him, but Harrelson was fond of saying, “I hit him with my best punch. I hit him right in the fist with my eye.”

Harrelson was the type of player who would never be given a chance in the major leagues these days. He just could not hit enough to make today’s rosters. Thankfully, he played at a time when that wasn’t the be all and end all, and Mets fans were able to enjoy Bud Harrelson for the fine player he truly was.