Former New York Mets slugger Butch Huskey has died at just 54 years old, leaving the baseball world mourning a player forever linked to one of the most historic nights in Major League Baseball.
The Mets announced Huskey’s death Friday, with reports confirming that the former fan favorite died from a blood clot in his lung.
“I just want to acknowledge this solemn day with the passing of Butch Huskey this morning,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “Just want to send prayers and thoughts to his family. I know all of our Mets family is thinking of him and the people who love him today.”
Huskey spent parts of five seasons in Queens and became one of the most recognizable Mets players of the 1990s.
The team selected him in the seventh round of the 1989 MLB Draft straight out of high school. He made his major league debut four years later and eventually appeared in 414 games for the Mets.
During his time in New York, Huskey hit .264 with a .740 OPS while playing both the infield and outfield.
His biggest offensive season came in 1997, when he belted 24 home runs.
Huskey also once held the Mets record for the most RBIs in a single inning after driving in five runs during the sixth inning of a 1998 game against the Florida Marlins.
After the 1998 season, the Mets traded Huskey to the Seattle Mariners. He would later suit up for the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies before his MLB career came to an end.
But for many Mets fans, Huskey will always be remembered for the number on the back of his uniform.
Huskey wore No. 42 on April 15, 1997, the night Major League Baseball permanently retired Jackie Robinson’s number across the sport.
The emotional ceremony took place during a Mets game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and included Robinson’s widow Rachel, MLB commissioner Bud Selig and then-President Bill Clinton.
Huskey later revealed that he had no idea beforehand just how historic the night was going to become.
He remembered seeing Clinton and the massive presidential security presence at Shea Stadium, but said he did not fully understand what was happening until the announcement was made during the fifth inning.
“That’s one of the best memories I had in my lifetime,” Huskey recalled during a Mets broadcast in 2024, adding that the moment would always stay with him.
When MLB retired Robinson’s No. 42, players already wearing the number were allowed to keep it for the remainder of their careers.
That meant Huskey could continue wearing the number despite initially believing he might have to give it up.
The connection was especially meaningful for Huskey.
He later revealed that while still in high school, he had written an essay about Robinson after an English teacher who knew about his love of baseball suggested the topic.
Decades later, Huskey said he still owned the No. 42 jersey he wore on the historic retirement night — complete with Rachel Robinson’s autograph.
“It meant the world to me and not just myself but a lot of other kids, people of color,” Huskey said in 2024 while discussing Robinson’s impact.
“He went through things that paved for us to have it not as hard as he did, and I just don’t think I could’ve done what he did.”
Huskey was the second-to-last Mets player ever to wear No. 42.
Mo Vaughn, another player who had been grandfathered in before the league-wide retirement, became the final Met to wear Robinson’s legendary number.
Now, Huskey’s sudden death has left the Mets family remembering not only a powerful hitter from the 1990s, but a player who found himself permanently connected to one of baseball’s most unforgettable moments.
