Former Mets player and manager Bud Harrelson passed away at age 79 Wednesday night in hospice care in East Northport, Long Island, the Mets announced Thursday.
Harrelson had battled Alzheimer’s for years after having been diagnosed with the disease in 2016. He had to be moved into an assisted care facility in 2021. An MLB.com story in 2022 said Harrelson “wanted people to know what he was going through and not feel alone if they, too, were affected by the disease.”
For most of the public, Harrelson was best known for his playing days. He was a two-time All-Star and a Gold Glover who got down-ballot MVP votes in three different seasons. He played 13 years for the Mets, two for the Phillies and one for the Rangers. In 1,553 career MLB games, he gathered 1,120 hits, 127 stolen bases and 539 runs.
Most famously, he was the shortstop of the 1969 “Miracle” Mets, a team that was 10 games back on Aug. 14 and ended up winning the NL East and then sweeping the NLCS before winning the World Series in five games.
Harrelson also became known for an on-field brawl with Pete Rose during the 1973 NLCS. In a postgame quote after Game 2, Harrelson mocked the Reds’ lack of offense. In Game 3, Rose retaliated with a hard slide:
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Later, Harrelson became a coach for the Mets, taking over as third base coach during the 1985 season. He remained in the position until he took over as manager, for parts of the 1990 and 1991 seasons. This means Harrelson was the third-base coach for the 1986 World Series title and also means he was in uniform during both of the Mets’ World Series championships.
“We were saddened to learn of Mets Hall of Famer Buddy Harrelson’s passing,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “He was 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.
