RIP Bill Buckner

[NJHalo]

Bill Buckner: 453 strikeouts in 2,517 games

Aaron Judge: 408 strikeouts in 314 games

I have to believe if Judge didn't get hurt early this season that he probably would have passed him by now. 

[T.G.]

Bobby Valentine was on mlbnetwork radio and told a great Buckner story...

They were both playing in the minors for Spokane and they had a game in Hawaii.  As they were lined up for the national anthem - Buckner looked at the pitcher they were going to face (Lloyd Allen? of the Angels farm team) and said to Valentine - I'm going to hit him in the head and kill him.  Valentine was puzzled by the comment... but when Buckner came up to bat - he hit a line drive off Allen's forehead!  Turns out Allen was a first round pick (Buckner was a second round pick) and he played against him in high school.  That's how competitive Buckern was.

The really amazing thing about that story - was Allen had the stitches of the baseball imprinted on his head and continued to pitch for a bit - walking a couple of batters before they yanked him.