Wilson, Buckner forever linked

Larry David, creator and star of the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” tossed a baseball signed by Mookie Wilson to Bill Buckner, who happened to be standing by an open window, in a recent episode.

Buckner, of course, missed it, and the souvenir tumbled out the window.

“It was a horse sh— throw,” Buckner says in the episode. “What did Mookie do? All he hit was a sh—— ground ball.”

This is what has become of Buckner’s life: Satire, a joke about one event in an otherwise impressive 22-year Major League Baseball career.

He came with Wilson to speak about their lives and playing careers Friday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds exhibition hall. The event benefited the Watertown Wizards and Upstate New York Youth Baseball Association.

“Life has a lot of things to hand you, and it’s how you deal with it,” Buckner said. “Everybody has their things they go through.”

It was Game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. In the bottom of 10th inning, Wilson dribbled a grounder to first baseman Buckner in which the ball famously went through his legs and allowed the winning run to score. The Mets forced a Game 7 and eventually won the Series.

“I think it’s kind of over ranked,” Buckner said of the play’s place in baseball history. “When you really think about it, if I had caught that ball, would the Red Sox have won the World Series? You can’t even say that.”

It is no surprise that after 25 years of reliving and rehashing the play in his mind and publicly, one of Buckner’s first actions when he arrived here, was cracking open a cold beverage.

It remained by his side as more than 100 guests lined up for autographs. Sitting next to him was the man who hit that (expletive) ground ball.

“That was one of the best events in baseball history,” Wilson, the ex-Mets outfielder, said. “Just recently we’ve been doing appearances where we’ve actually been able to discuss the whole ’86 year and the play and our relationship. Bill has been outstanding.”

The duo put to rest the myths and rumors that they don’t get along when they spoke to the packed exhibition hall.

Their joint appearances have increased over the last three years as both have moved more into roles as baseball ambassadors.

Wilson is still employed by the Mets, now as part of the public relations team, and Buckner signed on with the Chicago Cubs organization as a hitting coach.

“We both have a lot of really good experiences in baseball,” Buckner said. “I try to focus more on those things.”

Wizards co-owner Todd Kirkey didn’t hesitate to bring in Wilson and Buckner once he learned fellow Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League member Amsterdam had already booked them.

“It was a no-brainer,” Kirkey said. “They had the big ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ appearance. They’re hot right now.”

The Red Sox reached out to Buckner in 2008, asking him to throw out the first pitch on opening day. It was the same day they hoisted the 2007 World Series championship banner. He received a nearly four-minute ovation.

Buckner also found redemption at the end of his one-episode appearance on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He dived to catch an infant after it was dropped from the third-story of a burning building.

“It’s kind of a crazy show,” Buckner said. “It was kind of say what you think and that worked well for me. It was fun.”