Remembering Mets Slugger Butch Huskey
Former Mets Slugger Butch Huskey, One of Last to Wear No. 42, Dies at 54
Key Points
Huskey signed with the Mets after starring as an All-State football player at Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, and was a seventh-round pick in 1989.
In 1997, Huskey appeared in 142 games for the Mets, batting .287 with 24 home runs, 81 RBIs and 26 doubles, posting an .822 OPS—the best single-season mark of his Mets tenure.
Huskey was one of the last players to wear No. 42 under a grandfather clause after Jackie Robinson’s number was retired league-wide in 1997.
Over seven MLB seasons and 642 games, Huskey totaled 555 hits, 86 home runs, 336 RBIs, a .267 batting average and a .760 OPS (2,078 at-bats).
After leaving the Mets, Huskey’s career included stints with the Mariners, Red Sox, Twins and Rockies; notably, the Red Sox reached the 1998 ALCS before losing to the Yankees, following his trade to Boston after the 1998 season.
Butch Huskey, a former New York Mets outfielder and one of the last players to wear Jackie Robinson's iconic No. 42, has died at age 54. Winnipeg Free Press reported that Huskey died due to a blood clot in his lung. The Mets announced his passing on Friday.
Huskey spent five seasons with the Mets and was a fan favorite during the mid-1990s. He leaves behind a legacy tied not only to his play on the field, but to one of baseball's most sacred numbers.
A Breakout 1997 Season Defined His Mets Career
Huskey's best year in a Mets uniform came in 1997. He appeared in 142 games that season, batting .287 with 24 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 26 doubles. His .822 OPS that year was the best single-season mark of his time with New York. It was the kind of performance that made him one of the more productive power hitters on the roster.
Over 414 games with the Mets, Huskey hit .264 with 55 home runs. Across his full seven-season MLB career, he posted a .267 batting average, 86 home runs, 336 RBIs, and 555 hits in 642 games, according to Idaho State Journal.
From Oklahoma Football Star to Seventh-Round Mets Pick
Huskey grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he was an All-State football player at Eisenhower High School. The Mets drafted him in the seventh round in 1989. He worked his way up through the minors and made his MLB debut in New York, where he would spend the core years of his career.
He initially wore No. 10 with the Mets. In 1995, two years before Robinson's number was retired league-wide, Huskey switched to No. 42, according to Fox News. That small decision would later tie him to one of baseball's most historic moments.
One of the Last to Wear No. 42 Before MLB Retired It
MLB retired No. 42 across all teams in 1997 to honor Jackie Robinson, the man who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. But players already wearing the number were allowed to keep it under a grandfather clause. Huskey was one of those players, making him among the last Mets ever to wear it.
That connection to Robinson's number gave Huskey's career an extra layer of meaning. Winnipeg Free Press noted that he continued wearing No. 42 until he left the Mets, cementing his small but real place in baseball history.
Career Wound Down After Stops With Four More Teams
After his time in New York, Huskey played for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Colorado Rockies. His stint with Boston was notable. The Red Sox reached the 1998 American League Championship Series that year before losing to the Yankees. His MLB career ended after the 2001 season.
The Mets mourned his loss publicly on Friday. Huskey was 54 years old. His death from a pulmonary blood clot was confirmed by multiple outlets, including HNG News. He is remembered as a key part of the Mets' mid-1990s teams and a quiet piece of Robinson's enduring legacy.
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