December 14th, 2012
Bill Buckner
On this day in 1949, Bill Buckner was born in Vallejo, CA. Buckner made his MLB debut at age 19 and he played for Los Angeles from 1969-76. The Dodgers thought Buckner was going to be the first baseman of the future after the retirement of Wes Parker after the 1972 season. With Steve Garvey sitting on the bench as a pinch-hitter, the Dodgers switched Garvey from third base to first base in June 1973 after Buckner agreed to move to left field. The Dodgers traded Buckner to Chicago in a deal for outfielder Rick Monday. Buckner compiled a lifetime .289 batting average with 2,715 hits.
