Unable to Trade Buckner, 37, Red Sox Place Him on Waivers

First baseman Bill Buckner, who has more than 2,500 major league hits and one unforgettable World Series error, was waived Thursday as part of the Boston Red Sox youth movement.

Unable to trade the 37-year-old veteran and his big contract, the Red Sox freed him to join another club. Boston General Manager Lou Gorman expects a title contender to sign him, primarily as a pinch-hitter or designated hitter. Buckner hit .273 with 2 homers and 42 runs batted in this season for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox also brought up Sam Horn, a 23-year-old designated hitter, from the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Horn, a left-handed hitter, is expected to be with Boston for tonight’s game with the Seattle Mariners. He is batting .322 and leads the International League with 30 homers and 84 RBIs.

“I kind of guessed they were going to make a move,” Buckner said. “When I heard they were going to bring Sam Horn up, I requested that they do something because I figured I wasn’t going to get much playing time.”

Had the Red Sox traded Buckner, his new team would have had to pick up his reported $800,000 salary this season. No team is expected to claim him during the 72-hour waiver period.

If he is not claimed, he can make a deal with any club, which would have to pay him only the minimum salary of $62,500, prorated for the rest of the season. The Red Sox would be obligated for the difference between that and his contract amount.

“I think he’ll go to a contending club,” Gorman said. “You’re not talking about someone who needs a first baseman. He’d probably be used as a pinch-hitter.”

Buckner, with ankle injuries that forced him to wear high-topped baseball shoes, committed an error that let in the New York Mets’ winning run in the sixth game of last year’s World Series.

In 2,251 major league games over 18 seasons, he has a .292 batting average. He is still a productive hitter, but the lingering image of him may be the ball that trickled through his legs nine months ago.

Boston was leading the World Series, 3 games to 2, and was ahead going into the bottom of the 10th inning of the sixth game, 5-3. The Mets tied the score, then won the game when Ray Knight scored from second after Mookie Wilson’s two-out grounder skipped through Buckner’s legs.

The Mets went on to win the World Series with an 8-5 victory in the seventh game.

The Red Sox probably will use 16-year veteran right fielder Dwight Evans at first base, a position he has played occasionally this season. That would open right field for 24-year-old Mike Greenwell, who is batting .295 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs in 66 games.

Horn could help the designated hitter’s spot in the lineup, where Don Baylor is hitting .236 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs.

Buckner began his major league career with the Dodgers, for whom he played six full seasons. After the 1976 campaign, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, with whom he played seven full seasons and part of 1984 before moving on to Boston in a trade.