When the Cubs acquired Bill Buckner from the Dodgers in January 1977, he wasn’t happy with the deal. He’d come through the Dodger system with Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Steve Garvey and others; they’d won the 1974 NL pennant together and he felt part of that group, “bleeding Dodger blue,” for lack of a better term.
But over his first seven years in a Cubs uniform, 1977-83, he became not only a productive player, but a fan favorite.
In 1984, though, with the Cubs’ acquisition of Gary Matthews to play left field, Leon Durham was forced to move to first base.