The former Met who proudly wore Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and became the last Seattle Mariners player to wear it died at 54, leaving the MLB community in shock. According to the New York Mets, Butch Huskey died suddenly last Friday from a blood clot in his lungs. New reports, however, say an emergency call came from Huskey’s home earlier that day, and first responders reached the former MLB player before he died.

“The Lawton Fire Department and Kirk’s Emergency Medical Service came to Huskey’s house last Friday prior to his death later that day.” PennLive quoted California Post.

Reports say a call for chest pain came in at around 9:28 a.m. Friday. EMS rushed to Huskey’s home, where he was still alive when first responders arrived. An EMS representative also confirmed that Huskey was alive while being transported to the hospital.

“This morning, without warning, Butch Huskey, who was only 54, passed away suddenly in his hometown of Lawton, OK, because of a blood clot in his lungs,” Mets vice president for alumni relations Jay Horwitz confirmed on Friday afternoon.

Setting aside any speculation, Huskey likely experienced chest pain linked to the blood clot in his lungs. Even though emergency responders reached him on time, doctors were unable to save him.

“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.”

As mentioned earlier, Butch Huskey was one of the players who gave No. 42 special meaning before MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number league-wide in 1997. Huskey wanted to wear 42 long before reaching the majors, inspired by Robinson while in high school.

During an April 9, 2024 interview on Amazin’ Conversations with Jay Horwitz, Huskey recalled the promise he made as a high-school junior after writing a term paper about Robinson: “If I was ever fortunate enough to play Major League Baseball, then that would be the number of my choice, number 42.”

When MLB retired No. 42, 13 active players were still using it, so they were grandfathered in and allowed to keep wearing it until retirement. Huskey was part of that group, along with players such as Mo Vaughn and Mariano Rivera.

He was the starting 3B against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 15, 1997, wearing that same jersey. In the bottom 5th, he led the inning with a single, making it a two-run inning. Those were the first runs in a game the Mets won 5-0. But after that frame, the game paused, and the then-acting commissioner Bud Selig, Rachel Robinson, and President Bill Clinton came on the field for the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s debut. And Huskey instantly got concerned.

“I thought they were going to take the number off of my back right there at Shea Stadium. And until I heard them say that we were [permitted] to wear it the rest of our careers, I just knew I was gonna have to find a new number to put on my back. But they ended up letting us keep the numbers, so I was ecstatic about all that,” Huskey later revealed in a phone interview.

After being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 1998 for half a season, he wore the same number. But then, he joined the Boston Red Sox, and chose No. 44.

“That’s when Mo Vaughn had just left, and I was really wanting to find my way in Boston… Boston was going to give [42] to me, but I chose not to wear it because I didn’t want to be compared to Mo Vaughn all the time,” he explained.

Yet his appreciation was always there: “It’s good to be part of history like that with something good and pure.”

Huskey again wore 42 during his time with the Twins in 2000. That same year, in July, he was traded to the Rockies, and for those final two months, he wore No. 35.

But the connection did not end when Huskey retired.

Every Jackie Robinson Day, watching players across MLB wear No. 42 brought those memories back and reminded him of the small place he held in that history.

“It makes me unbelievably proud to see that, especially with every player on the field wearing number 42.”

For Huskey, the number represented Robinson’s sacrifice and the path he created for generations who followed.

“That’s the ultimate tribute to a guy who went through so much to be able to play in Major League Baseball.”

Huskey retired after the 2000 season, while Rivera ultimately became the last regular MLB player to wear No. 42, keeping it until 2013.

Huskey had a roller-coaster career with the Mets

Huskey spent five of his seven MLB seasons with the Mets, the team that drafted him in the seventh round in 1989. After several years in the minors, he finally reached the majors in 1993 and appeared in 13 games, batting .146 with three RBIs. The numbers were modest, but reaching the big leagues itself meant plenty to him.

“It was exciting for me because I was getting a chance to live out my childhood dream and play Major League Baseball,” Huskey later recalled.

He returned to the majors in 1995 and gradually found his footing. His breakthrough came in 1997, when he hit .287 with 26 doubles, 24 home runs and 81 RBIs, setting career highs across all four categories. He had already shown signs of that power a year earlier, finishing the 1996 season on a tear by batting .455 with three homers over his final seven games after returning from a knee injury.

One moment from those Mets years stayed with him more than most. “I think it was my first big league home run off the Jumbotron in Shea, off of Hideo Nomo, his rookie year. That’s the one I remember the most,” Huskey said.

His Mets run eventually came to an end, and that part was harder for him to accept. After spending years in the organization, Huskey had pictured himself staying in New York much longer.

“It stung really bad. I thought I was going to be a Met,” he admitted. “I figured that I was going to be a Met for life.”

Huskey went on to play for the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox in 1999 before splitting the 2000 season between the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies. He finished his seven-year MLB career with a .267 average, 86 home runs and 336 RBIs.

Huskey is survived by his wife, Kristy, his daughters Kennedy and Kyrbi, and his son Bryce. His sudden death at 54 brought an abrupt end to the life of a former Met remembered not only for his power at the plate, but also for the pride he took in wearing Jackie Robinson’s No. 42.