Butch Huskey, the 6-foot-3 first baseman and outfielder from Anadarko, Oklahoma who played seven major league seasons primarily with the Mets and was one of the last players to wear Jackie Robinson's number 42, died Friday at the age of 54.
The Mets confirmed his death. Jay Horwitz, the team's vice president of alumni relations, told The Athletic that Huskey died from a blood clot in his lung.
Huskey switched from No. 10 to No. 42 in 1995 to honor Robinson, two years before Commissioner Bud Selig retired the number league-wide on April 15, 1997 at Shea Stadium. Players wearing it at the time of the announcement were grandfathered in, able to keep it for the remainder of their careers.
Huskey wore it with the Mets, Mariners and Twins before retiring after the 2000 season, one of the very last players to carry Robinson's number.
"I never thought that I would ever see something like this in my life," Huskey said when the retirement was announced at Shea.
He hit .267 with 86 home runs and 336 RBIs across 642 career games. His best season was 1997, .287, 24 homers, 81 RBIs. The Mets held a moment of silence for him before Friday's game against Washington.
He was 54 years old.