Jerry Buchek 1942-2019

[Met Hunter]

Trying to locate a good source. But there are tweets reporting the death of Jerry Buchek, 76. Gene Okerlund, Bob (Super Dave, Funkhauser) Einstein and Daryl (The Captain) Dragon all reportedly died today too. All 4 men were 76.

[Met Hunter]

https://www.facebook.com/1569188994/posts/10212350826996988/https://www.facebook.com/1569188994/posts/10212350826996988/

[G-Fafif]

Jerry Buchek was one of the first Mets I was conscious of because I had a Coca-Cola bottle cap with his face on the liner. It was part of a series, though that's the only one I had. I saved it for a few years then discarded it because licensing issue left him pictured sans logo and besides the crown (as bottle caps are known in the industry) was dented and who the hell was Jerry Buchek? Between the time the bottle cap fell into my hands and the time I decided I was no longer impressed by it, I had actually seen the Mets play...without Jerry Buchek. He might as well have been Scott Copeland to my unsophisticated thinking.



When I interviewed Gary Cohen in 2008, I asked him if he had a favorite obscure-ish Met, one who didn't get talked about very often in the decades that followed. He said Jerry Buchek. Maybe he had the bottle cap, too.



Was the protagonist in the http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2011/02/09/whats-the-story-jerrys/grandest win of the Salty Parker era.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Fun piece on the Met Jerrys.



Fourteen roundtrippers wasn't nothin for a second baseman back in 67 and really something for a Met second baseman.

[RealityChuck]

I remember him as one of the many Mets third basemen of the 60s, a position they had a very hard time filling (why do you think they traded for Fregosi?).

[MFS62]

He actually had a pretty good year (relative to the other Mets of his era) his first year with the team.

And, they had to give up Danny Napoleon to get him.

RIP, Jerry.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Fun piece on the Met Jerrys. Fourteen roundtrippers wasn't nothin for a second baseman back in 67 and really something for a Met second baseman.

Especially since his backup was Sandy Alomar, who went 0-22 with no walks.



Tiffany Buchek is apparently the daughter of punchless early '80s Cardinals backup catcher Glenn Brummer. Glenn's claim to fame was ending an extra-inning game (not against the Mets, fortunately) by stealing home with two out in the 12th and two strikes on the batter, one of only four steals in his career.