Bucky Dent
Encyclopedia
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent (born Russell Earl O'Dey; November 25, 1951), is a former American
Major League Baseball
player and manager
. He earned two World Series
rings as the starting shortstop
for the New York Yankees
in and , and was voted the World Series MVP
in 1978. Dent is most famous for his home run
in a tie-breaker game
against the Boston Red Sox
at the end of the 1978 season.
, Dent grew up in Sylvania, Georgia
, and Hialeah, Florida
, graduating from Hialeah High School
. Dent was the sixth pick in the 1970 major league draft. By the age of 21, he was playing shortstop for the Chicago White Sox
. He wore uniform number 30 on the White Sox. The pressure of succeeding Luis Aparicio
at the position was problematic, however, and in the White Sox traded him to the Yankees for Oscar Gamble
, LaMarr Hoyt
, a minor leaguer and $200,000. The Yankees gave him uniform number 20.
against the Boston Red Sox. It was notable because he was not known as a power hitter, having hit just 40 home runs in 12 years in the major leagues, and occupying the ninth spot in the batting order. The Yankees went on to win the game 5-4, securing the division title in the process.
Dent batted .417 in the 1978 World Series
, earning Series Most Valuable Player
honors as the Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers
, four games to two.
, Dent remained the Yankees' shortstop until , when he was traded to the Texas Rangers
for outfielder Lee Mazzilli
. On the Rangers, his uniform number was 7. Dent returned to the Yankees briefly in 1984 (but never played a game) before finishing his career that season with the Kansas City Royals
, wearing uniform number 21. He retired having spent his full 12-year playing career in the American League
, with a .247 batting average
and 423 RBI
.
. He served the Yankees as manager of the big-league club for portions of two seasons, compiling an 18-22 record in and an 18–31 record in . Although Dent had his greatest moment as a player at Fenway Park, his worst moment also came at Fenway Park when he was fired as manager of the Yankees. Dan Shaughnessy
of The Boston Globe
compared the firing of Dent to "Phyllis George
getting arrested in Atlantic City," and "Neil Armstrong
tearing his Achilles' doing the moonwalk." He said that the "firing was only special because of where it happened...it's the first time a Yankee manager—who was also a Red Sox demon—was purged on the ancient Indian burial grounds of the Back Bay." He also criticized Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
for firing Dent in Boston.
In 2002, Dent served as the manager for the Omaha Royals
, the Triple A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals
.
Most recently, Dent threw out the first pitch to Yogi Berra
in the seventh and final game of the 2004 American League Championship Series
.
In November 2005, Dent became the bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds
. The Cincinnati Reds
released Dent on July 3, 2007; just a few days after releasing manager Jerry Narron. At the time, the Reds had the worst record in Major League Baseball.
He now lives in South Florida with his wife and 4 children, Scott Russell, Stacy Lynn and twins Cody Joseph and Caitlin Ann.
, portraying a Cowboys wide receiver who was the love interest of Jane Seymour
's character. He appeared, wearing a swimsuit, in the September 1983 issue of Playgirl
magazine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
. He earned two World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
rings as the starting shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in and , and was voted the World Series MVP
World Series MVP Award
The World Series Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the Major League Baseball postseason...
in 1978. Dent is most famous for his home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in a tie-breaker game
1978 American League East tie-breaker game
The 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
at the end of the 1978 season.
Early life
Dent was born 25 November 1951, in Savannah, Georgia, to Dennis O'Dey and Russell "Shorty" Stanford. He went home from the hospital with his mother's brother and his wife, James Earl and Sarah Dent. He and his half-brother were raised by the Dents, and they changed his last name to theirs, but his mother would not allow them to legally adopt him. He and his half-brother thought of the Dents as their parents, and until he was ten years old, Dent believed his biological mother was his aunt. Later in life, she mentioned the name of his father, whom Dent tracked down and developed a relationship with.Early career
Born in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Dent grew up in Sylvania, Georgia
Sylvania, Georgia
Sylvania is a city in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,675 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Screven County.-Geography:Sylvania is located at ....
, and Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
, graduating from Hialeah High School
Hialeah High School
Hialeah High School is a secondary school located at 251 E 47th Street in Hialeah, Florida, USA.-History:Hialeah High School opened its doors to students and staff in 1953 to serve the growing communities of Northwestern Miami-Dade County. It is one of the oldest secondary schools in the county,...
. Dent was the sixth pick in the 1970 major league draft. By the age of 21, he was playing shortstop for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. He wore uniform number 30 on the White Sox. The pressure of succeeding Luis Aparicio
Luis Aparicio
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel is a former shortstop in professional baseball. His career in Major League Baseball spanned three decades, from through . Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
at the position was problematic, however, and in the White Sox traded him to the Yankees for Oscar Gamble
Oscar Gamble
Oscar Charles Gamble is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. He played for 17 seasons, from 1969 to 1985, on seven different teams: the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees on two separate occasions, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland...
, LaMarr Hoyt
LaMarr Hoyt
Dewey LaMarr Hoyt is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who won the American League Cy Young Award.-Chicago White Sox:...
, a minor leaguer and $200,000. The Yankees gave him uniform number 20.
1978
Dent is widely remembered for hitting a three-run homer that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the 1978 AL East division playoff game1978 American League East tie-breaker game
The 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
against the Boston Red Sox. It was notable because he was not known as a power hitter, having hit just 40 home runs in 12 years in the major leagues, and occupying the ninth spot in the batting order. The Yankees went on to win the game 5-4, securing the division title in the process.
Dent batted .417 in the 1978 World Series
1978 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWith Yankee ace Ron Guidry unavailable at least until Game 3, the Dodgers pounded twenty-game winner Ed Figueroa. Figueroa left after two innings, allowing home runs to Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes. Lopes would add a...
, earning Series Most Valuable Player
World Series MVP Award
The World Series Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the Major League Baseball postseason...
honors as the Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, four games to two.
1979-1984
A three-time All-StarMajor League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, Dent remained the Yankees' shortstop until , when he was traded to the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for outfielder Lee Mazzilli
Lee Mazzilli
Lee Louis Mazzilli, , is a former Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager. On December 11, 2006, he was hired as the lead studio analyst for SportsNet New York, the New York Mets' cable television network...
. On the Rangers, his uniform number was 7. Dent returned to the Yankees briefly in 1984 (but never played a game) before finishing his career that season with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, wearing uniform number 21. He retired having spent his full 12-year playing career in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, with a .247 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 423 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
.
Post-career activities
After retiring as a player, Dent managed in the Yankees' minor-league system, notably with the Columbus ClippersColumbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
. He served the Yankees as manager of the big-league club for portions of two seasons, compiling an 18-22 record in and an 18–31 record in . Although Dent had his greatest moment as a player at Fenway Park, his worst moment also came at Fenway Park when he was fired as manager of the Yankees. Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
compared the firing of Dent to "Phyllis George
Phyllis George
Phyllis Ann George Brown is an American businesswoman, actress and a former sportscaster. She is a former Miss Texas and Miss America of 1971.- Early life :...
getting arrested in Atlantic City," and "Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
tearing his Achilles' doing the moonwalk." He said that the "firing was only special because of where it happened...it's the first time a Yankee manager—who was also a Red Sox demon—was purged on the ancient Indian burial grounds of the Back Bay." He also criticized Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
for firing Dent in Boston.
In 2002, Dent served as the manager for the Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
, the Triple A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
.
Most recently, Dent threw out the first pitch to Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
in the seventh and final game of the 2004 American League Championship Series
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
.
In November 2005, Dent became the bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
released Dent on July 3, 2007; just a few days after releasing manager Jerry Narron. At the time, the Reds had the worst record in Major League Baseball.
He now lives in South Florida with his wife and 4 children, Scott Russell, Stacy Lynn and twins Cody Joseph and Caitlin Ann.
Non-baseball work
In 1979, Dent posed for a pin-up poster. That year he also appeared in the TV movie Dallas Cowboys CheerleadersDallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys.- 1960s :The original cheerleading squad was a made up of a male-female group called the CowBelles & Beaux. The group made its sidelines debut in 1960 during the Cowboys' inaugural...
, portraying a Cowboys wide receiver who was the love interest of Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (actress)
Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
's character. He appeared, wearing a swimsuit, in the September 1983 issue of Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
magazine.
External links
- Baseball Library - biography
- Bucky Dent Baseball School
- Bucky Dent's Home Run - an essay on the Baseball Library site
- Baseball Almanac
- The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Over The Green Monster