Mookie Wilson reacts to death of Bill Buckner: His 'legacy should not be defined by one play'

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Baseball legend Bill Buckner dies at the age of 69

Former MLB player passes after a long battle with a form of dementia.

The New York Mets player whose seemingly harmless grounder to first base led to the defining moment of Bill Buckner's career says he wishes the legacy of the late Boston Red Sox standout hadn't been boiled down to that high-profile miscue.

But Buckner and Mookie Wilson will forever be linked by the play, which became one of the biggest World Series blunders of all-time and added to the superstitious notion Boston was cursed.

On Monday, Wilson reacted to the shared legacy after news broke that Buckner, the former Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers infielder, died after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia. Buckner was 69.

BASEBALL GREAT BILL BUCKNER DEAD AT 69

“We had developed a friendship that lasted well over 30 years," Wilson said in a statement. "I felt badly for some of the things he went through. Bill was a great, great baseball player whose legacy should not be defined by one play."

In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the Red Sox held a 5-3 lead over the New York Mets entering the bottom of the 10th inning -- three outs away from claiming their first title since 1918. Buckner, then 36 and nearing the end of his career, was left in the game at first base, with Red Sox manager John McNamara opting not to pull him for a defensive replacement in order to keep the veteran on the field for what seemed like a certain celebration.

But after reliever Calvin Schiraldi retired the first two Mets hitters, three consecutive singles cut Boston's lead to 5-4. Bob Stanley replaced Schiraldi and promptly threw a wild pitch that allowed Kevin Mitchell to score the tying run. Three pitches later, Wilson tapped a slow ground ball up the first base line. Buckner hobbled over to field the ball, only to see it sail under his glove and into right field. Wilson reached first and Ray Knight hustled around third to score the winning run for New York.

The Mets won Game 7 two days later and the Red Sox championship drought continued until 2004.

In this March 29, 2001, file photo, New York Mets coach Mookie Wilson poses with former Boston Red Sox player Bill Buckner in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

After that play, Wilson and Buckner formed a friendship. Wilson told WIP radio in Philadelphia in 2014 the two had become very close.

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“He is a great, great person,” Wilson said at the time. “We enjoy each other’s company and we have a lot in common, a lot more than you would think. And it’s just been great.”

Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain contributed to this report.