Former Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson died Thursday after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease:

During a major league career that lasted from 1965 to ’80, the light-hitting Harrelson was selected to two All-Star Games and won a Gold Glove. Known to family and teammates as Buddy, he spent his first 13 seasons with New York and was the only man in a Mets uniform for both their World Series titles.

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My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

I started watching baseball in 1969. In Bridgeport, CT, we received both the Yankees and Mets games over the air, and while I was partial to the Yankees, the Mets magical season caught my interest as well, and Harrelson was a big part of that.

While Harrelson was light hitting, that was typical of middle infielders of the day. While hits were scarce and extra-base hits scarcer, he drew enough walks not to be an easy out. His defense shone, and in his best season, 1971, at the peak age of 27, he posted 4.6 WAR with a combination of decent hitting and stellar defense.

Harrelson went on to participate in many aspects of the game, coach, manager, and part owner of an independent league team.

His most famous moment was the fight with Pete Rose during the 1973 NLCS. That moment cemented my admiration of Harrelson and my lifelong dislike of Rose.

Cincinnati players apparently were peeved about a comment from Harrelson after Game 2. Making light of his own shortcomings, Harrelson said Mets pitcher Jon Matlack “made the Big Red Machine look like me hitting” after the left-hander tossed a two-hit shutout.

“I didn’t think it was all that bad. I was kind of putting myself down a little bit, but I was also putting them down,” Harrelson said. “Then I heard that they were going to come after me and all that, so I figured that was it right there. And when Pete hit me after I’d already thrown the ball, I got mad. And we had the little match. He just kind of lifted me up, laid me down to sleep and it was all over.”

Harrelson later wrote that Charlie Hustle caught him with “a cheap shot.” But the former shortstop would also joke about the fracas, often saying: “I hit him with my best punch. I hit him right in the fist with my eye.”

Another childhood memory passes on.