Quote Originally Posted by red View Post
and like starr everyone said he was an absolute class act, but the people of boston will forever hate him for that one mistake
I think he was largely forgiven by the Red Sox fans once the Red Sox won a World Series. But it took almost 20 years. To a lot of casual fans though who don't know what a great hitter he was, the grounder is the play they remember.

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/27/72735...ner-dies-at-69

Buckner played for a few more years, retiring in 1990 and moving his family to Meridian, Idaho — where most people hadn't heard of him, or his World Series gaffe. It wasn't until 2004 that Buckner finally found redemption, once the Red Sox finally won their first World Series in 86 years.

Time and winning heal all sports wounds — and the fans and media were no longer so angry at Buckner. When Buckner returned to Fenway Park for the 2008 Red Sox home opener, he was greeted with open arms — and a two-minute ovation.

"It was awesome," Buckner told NPR. "The real cool thing about it was the fans ... were sincere," he said. "I think they understood all the crap I went through, and they were always good to me."

Perhaps the fans' sentiment was best summed up by the the next day's cover headline in the Boston Herald: "All is Forgiven."