Did you ever watch a compilation of the greatest moments in Major Leauge history?  If you have, you usually come across Mookie Wilson‘s little roller up the first base line, and as a Mets fan it brings you a smile.  If you’re a Red Sox fan, you cringe each and every time you see the ball roll through Bill Buckner‘s legs and watch a delirious Ray Knight cross home plate.

As I learned yesterday, the Mets now have their Buckner moment.

In Game Three of the ALDS between the Rangers and the Blue Jays, the score was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning.  The Blue Jays had runners at first and second with one out.  Russell Martin hit a ball to the third base hole that seemed too slow to turn the double play.  That didn’t deter Rougned Odor.  After received the throw from Elvis Andrus, he made an offline throw to the first baseman Mitch Moreland, who was unable to handle the ball.  While this was occurring reigning AL MVP, Josh Donaldson, did not stop running.  He rounded third and headed home.  By the time Moreland would pick the ball up and throw home, it was too late.  It was just a brutal way for the Rangers to lose the ALDS.

Sure enough, everyone started comparing Donaldson to Eric Hosmer.  MLB even did a Vine comparing the two plays:

And now we know that every time a player hustles to make a play, invariably there is going to be a comparison to the infamous Lucas Duda throw home in Game Five of the 2015 World Series.

Duda deserves a better fate that this, as did Buckner.  The Mets don’t go to the 2015 World Series without him.  As we saw this past season, when Duda suffered a stress fracture in his lower back, the team missed his presence in the lineup, and yes, the team missed his defense at first base.  One throw doesn’t change what he has accomplished in his career, nor does it change how much the Mets need him back on the field in 2017.

However, that throw does define him.  Years later, all people outside of New York will know about him is he is the guy that made the poor throw.  Assuredly, someone is going to invariably blame him for blowing not just the game, but the entire World Series.  It’ll be nonsense.

As we saw in 1986, it wasn’t just Buckner.  It was Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, and Knight not willing to go down without a fight.  It was Rich Gedman just missing a pitch, that was somehow ruled a Bob Stanley wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score.  Furthermore, it was the Red Sox who blew a 3-0 lead in Game Seven of the World Series.  Buckner’s error didn’t help things, but it wasn’t the reason why the Red Sox lost.

Last year, it was Terry Collins allowing Matt Harvey to talk him into pitching another inning.  It was then Collins sticking with Harvey too long in that ninth inning before turning to Jeurys Familia.  It was David Wright cutting in front of Wilmer Flores, to not only make a weak throw to get the out at first, but also to allow Hosmer to aggressively round an abandoned third base.  It was also the Mets offense that didn’t score any runs in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings to lead to that loss.

Like Buckner, Duda didn’t help matters, and he will be forever blamed for the loss.  Worse yet, people will forget two pretty good careers by letting their worst moments define them.  They’ll have that opportunity because their respective errors will be replayed time and time again.  In that sense, Duda has now become the Mets version of Buckner.