Obituaries

JAMES “JIM” ANDERSON, a first baseman who played in the New York-Penn, Midwest and Northern leagues for the Tigers organization in 1959 and ’60, died May 17 in Yardley, Pa. He was 78.

WILLIAM “BILL” BUCKNER, a 1981 all-star and the 1980 National League batting champion who played for the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, California Angels and Royals over 22 big league seasons from 1969-90, died May 27 in Vallejo, Calif. He was 69.

An outfielder and first baseman during his career, Buckner played in more than 2,500 major league games, hitting .289/.321/.408 with 174 home runs, 1,208 RBIs and 183 stolen bases. He finished inside the top 10 in NL MVP voting in both 1981 and 1982, and he led the league in doubles in 1981 and 1983. He hit over .300 in eight different seasons, including a career-best .324 in 1980.

Traded from the Cubs to the Red Sox in the middle of the 1984 season, Buckner started all 162 games for the 1985 Red Sox at first base. He was plagued by a leg injury toward the end of the 1986 season, and he is infamously remembered for a 10th-inning error in Game 6