Butch Huskey, who gained prominence as one of the last Major League Baseball players to wear Jackie Robinson's iconic No. 42, has died at the age of 54. The New York Mets, Huskey's former team, announced his death on social media.
Jackie Robinson broke MLB's color barrier in 1947. In recognition of his monumental achievement, MLB retired the No. 42 across the league in 1997. However, players who were already wearing the number at the time, including Huskey, Mo Vaughn, and Mariano Rivera, were permitted to continue using it for the remainder of their careers.
Huskey initially wore No. 10 with the Mets but switched to No. 42 in 1995. He was able to wear the number even after leaving the Mets, sporting it with the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins. During his time with the Boston Red Sox in 1999, he opted to wear No. 44.
He is noted as the last player in Mariners history to wear No. 42. Following him, only Vaughn, Rivera, Michael Jackson, and Jose Lima wore the number in Major League Baseball.
Huskey made his MLB debut in 1993. He saw increased playing time in 1996, batting .278 with a .754 OPS, primarily at first base. His most productive season came in 1997 when he hit a career-high 24 home runs and drove in 81 runs, posting a .287 batting average and an .822 OPS. The following season, he was traded to the Mariners.
His career also included a stint with the Colorado Rockies, where he wore No. 35. Huskey was part of the Red Sox team that reached the postseason in 1999 as a wild card, but they were eliminated by the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.