"Behind the Bag!"

Today, in 1986, a play that would, and has, lived on through the years occured. Today, in 1986, Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner let a ground ball get through his legs in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 of the World Series. Now, those who are not savvy of the event I'm talking about might think why has this moment lived on for the last 26 years? First, you have know a little bit of the history of the Boston Red Sox. In 1920, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, who helped the team win the 1918 World Series and now considered one of the best baseball players of all time, to the New York Yankees. What occurred over the next several decades was a tale in Boston futility. In what was known as "The Curse of the Bambino," ("The Great Bambino," being one of Ruth's nicknames) the Red Sox struggled to get back to prominence. They didn't make another World Series until 1946, a series they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. They would make a few more World Series before '86, but could never quite end the curse. However, '86 seemed to be the magic number. Up 3-2 in the best-of-seven World Series against the New York Mets, the Red Sox has a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 10th inning. Boston was three outs away from reversing the curse. The first two batters of the inning were retired without fail. Nevertheless, the Mets strung together three straight hits to load the bases, scoring a run in the process. After a pitch from Sox reliever Bob Stanley got past the catcher to score another run, the game was tied. The batter was left fielder Mookie Wilson. The pitcher was Bob Stanley. The Mets were down to their final strike, when Bill Buckner became a name that would live on forever. The Red Sox would lose Game 7 to the Mets, and lose the series. The Red Sox would eventually reverse the curse in 2004, sweeping the Cardinals to win their first title since 1918. But the Bill Buckner play still lives on. Sources- Photo- http://actornice.com/imgs/bill-buckner-01.html http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198610250.shtml http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2000/03/22/the_curse_timeline/