"Mr. October watched the World Series on TV for a change last fall. He has repeatedly emphasized his desire to be traded.
'I just want out. I can't take it anymore.' Eligible to become a free agent again at age 35, Reggie would like to be the first player to sign multi-million dollar contracts twice in his career. Born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, he's articulate, outspoken and controversial.
'I speak in headlines.' Reggie made no secret of his contempt for Billy Martin. He actively supports several charities. A sensitive man with a massive ego that is easily hurt, Reggie can carry the club all by himself when he's hot. He's not an outstanding outfielder."
-Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1980 Edition
"Playing for the New York Yankees will always cast a spotlight on some, while others will always breed controversy. Reggie Jackson has faced more controversy than anyone in the game today and he has always come up the better man for it. Fans are always ready to discuss whether he is really worth his salt. Reg asks the ladies and gentlemen of the jury to look over the evidence. Just the facts, please!
For the third consecutive year, Reg gave New York another outstanding performance. He hit a career high .297, tying Lou Piniella for the club batting title. He also led the Bombers with 29 home runs, 89 RBIs and 11 game-winning RBIs. In all of the American League, Reggie was fifth in slugging percentage at a .544 clip ... and this was done despite missing the entire month of June due to injury. His 369 lifetime homers entering this season tie him with Ralph Kiner for 25th on the all-time home run list. And there's so much more, you'd have to miss four innings to get everything down.
When the situation is tense and crucial, there aren't many who are willing to sacrifice life and limb for the ball club. If there are any questions, please consult the fourth game of the World Series two seasons ago. Reggie's 'bottoms up' play swayed the emotional tide toward the Yankee blue and they continued to play inspired ball as they won their 22nd World Championship. Always thinking, always reacting, always mired in controversy. But then, what else would you expect from a Yankee named Reggie Jackson."
-The New York Yankees Official 1980 Yearbook
"Reggie had a third consecutive outstanding year as a Yankee last season. He hit a career high .297, tying Lou Piniella for the club lead, and also led the club with 29 home runs, 89 RBIs and 11 game-winning hits. Reggie was fifth in the A.L. in slugging (.544), tied for seventh in home runs and tied for 11th in on-base percentage (.388). He once again had a 'hot' month of September, hitting seven of his 29 homers, and driving in 20 runs during the month.
He accomplished all that despite missing almost the entire month of June. On June 2 he suffered a partial tear of the gastrocnemius aponeurosis (sheath of muscle) in the left calf area while jogging in from the outfield in the ninth inning. Reggie did not return until June 29.
Reggie had his biggest day of the season on July 7 at Oakland when he drove in five runs with four hits, including a home run; he also had four hits on August 15 against Texas. He scored his 1,000th run during the season. Reggie's longest hitting streak of the year was 10 games, and he drove in at least one run in each of those games (5/4-5/13). He went 1-for-3 as a pinch hitter, a game-winning two-run homer on April 10 in Baltimore.
He has improved his defense greatly the past two years. Reggie had only four errors last year, after three the year before. He also had seven assists, after six the year before.
Jackson has 369 career home runs, tied with Ralph Kiner for 25th all-time, and only Carl Yastrzemski among active American Leaguers has more. Last year, Reggie became the 10th player in history to hit 20 or more in 12 seasons, and only the ninth in history to hit 25 or more in nine straight seasons. Jackson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson are the only major leaguers to have 350 homers and 200 stolen bases lifetime.
During the decade of the '70s, Reggie hit 292 home runs, tops among all American Leaguers, and second only to Willie Stargell's 296 among all players. He also had 922 RBIs during the decade, again the best mark in the A.L. and fourth behind Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Lee May among all players. Over the last six years, Reggie has 180 home runs, best in the A.L. and third in the majors behind Mike Schmidt (216) and George Foster (181). He had five seasons of 30 or more homers, and four of 100 or more RBIs. Reggie has seven career grand slams, three as a Yankee.
Jackson is averaging 29 home runs and 99 RBIs in his three Yankee seasons and has led the club in RBIs and slugging all three years. Reggie led the club in homers last year and tied Nettles for the club lead in 1978. In '78, he hit eight of his 27 home runs in September and drove in 26 of his 97 runs that month to help him place ninth and seventh in the league, respectively. Reggie also had 10 game-winning hits that year after pacing the club with 20 in '77.
During that 1977 season, he was fifth in the A.L. in homers and sixth in RBIs. Reggie also had a 14-game hitting streak, his longest since a 15-game streak in 1974. He stole 17 in 20 attempts that year and grounded into only three double plays, just one short of the Yankee record held by Mantle and Rivers. The Yankees took off in '77 after Reggie was inserted into the cleanup spot permanently on August 10; from that point until the end of the season, he had 13 home runs and 49 RBIs as the Yankees won 40 of their final 53 games.
Reggie signed a five-year contract with the Yankees after he played out his option with Baltimore following the 1976 season. He was an Oriole for only one season. He missed a month of that year, but still finished second to Nettles for the home run title and led the league in slugging for the third time.
Jackson achieved much of his fame as a member of the Oakland A's from 1967-75. He helped them to five Western Division titles and three World Championships. Reggie led the league in home runs in 1973 and tied for the lead in 1975. In 1969 he challenged the Maris home run record and wound up with a career high of 47. In 1973, he was MVP in the A.L. and in the World Series, and also was the Sporting News Player of the Year.
In 1975, he became the only player to homer in all 12 American League parks in one season. His top home run parks are Oakland-130, Yankee Stadium-61, Baltimore-24, Milwaukee-20, Detroit-17 and Minnesota-16.
A nine-time All-Star, Reggie is best remembered for his tape-measure home run in Detroit in the 1971 All-Star Game, a shot that bounced off the transformer on the right field roof at Tiger Stadium. He was the top vote-getter in the 1974 fan balloting.
Jackson was drafted number one by Oakland in 1966 and signed after his sophomore year at Arizona State for a reported $95,000 bonus. He was the Southern League Player of the Year in 1967 and reached the majors by the end of the season. The Yankees player representative, Reggie also served in the same capacity with the A's until he was traded to Baltimore on April 2, 1976 with Ken Holtzman and Bill Van Bommel for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell.
Reggie has been the World Series MVP twice, in 1973 and again in his record-breaking 1977 Series- he set five Series records and tied three others. He continued in 1978 when he tied Lou Gehrig's record of at least one RBI in eight straight World Series games. Reggie has 23 World Series RBIs, 12th all-time and nine World Series homers, sixth all-time. He has now hit safely in 13 of his last 14 postseason games (ALCS and World Series), going 23-for-50 (.460), and he has reached base 29 of his last 50 trips to the plate in postseason play, a .580 on-base percentage. Reggie was injured and missed his first World Series in 1972 when he pulled a hamstring in a play at the plate in the final game of the ALCS against the Tigers. He has a .767 slugging percentage in World Series play, tops among those in 20 or more Series games.
One of six children born to Martinez and Clara Jackson, Reggie grew up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, where his father was a tailor. He played baseball, basketball, football and ran track at Cheltenham High School, where he ran the 100 in 9.7, was a halfback on the football team, and pitched three no-hitters. Reggie batted .550 in his senior year, earning both a baseball and a football scholarship to Arizona State. He left after his sophomore year, but went back to earn a Biology degree."
-New York Yankees 1980 Media Guide
He accomplished all that despite missing almost the entire month of June. On June 2 he suffered a partial tear of the gastrocnemius aponeurosis (sheath of muscle) in the left calf area while jogging in from the outfield in the ninth inning. Reggie did not return until June 29.
Reggie had his biggest day of the season on July 7 at Oakland when he drove in five runs with four hits, including a home run; he also had four hits on August 15 against Texas. He scored his 1,000th run during the season. Reggie's longest hitting streak of the year was 10 games, and he drove in at least one run in each of those games (5/4-5/13). He went 1-for-3 as a pinch hitter, a game-winning two-run homer on April 10 in Baltimore.
He has improved his defense greatly the past two years. Reggie had only four errors last year, after three the year before. He also had seven assists, after six the year before.
Jackson has 369 career home runs, tied with Ralph Kiner for 25th all-time, and only Carl Yastrzemski among active American Leaguers has more. Last year, Reggie became the 10th player in history to hit 20 or more in 12 seasons, and only the ninth in history to hit 25 or more in nine straight seasons. Jackson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson are the only major leaguers to have 350 homers and 200 stolen bases lifetime.
During the decade of the '70s, Reggie hit 292 home runs, tops among all American Leaguers, and second only to Willie Stargell's 296 among all players. He also had 922 RBIs during the decade, again the best mark in the A.L. and fourth behind Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Lee May among all players. Over the last six years, Reggie has 180 home runs, best in the A.L. and third in the majors behind Mike Schmidt (216) and George Foster (181). He had five seasons of 30 or more homers, and four of 100 or more RBIs. Reggie has seven career grand slams, three as a Yankee.
Jackson is averaging 29 home runs and 99 RBIs in his three Yankee seasons and has led the club in RBIs and slugging all three years. Reggie led the club in homers last year and tied Nettles for the club lead in 1978. In '78, he hit eight of his 27 home runs in September and drove in 26 of his 97 runs that month to help him place ninth and seventh in the league, respectively. Reggie also had 10 game-winning hits that year after pacing the club with 20 in '77.
During that 1977 season, he was fifth in the A.L. in homers and sixth in RBIs. Reggie also had a 14-game hitting streak, his longest since a 15-game streak in 1974. He stole 17 in 20 attempts that year and grounded into only three double plays, just one short of the Yankee record held by Mantle and Rivers. The Yankees took off in '77 after Reggie was inserted into the cleanup spot permanently on August 10; from that point until the end of the season, he had 13 home runs and 49 RBIs as the Yankees won 40 of their final 53 games.
Reggie signed a five-year contract with the Yankees after he played out his option with Baltimore following the 1976 season. He was an Oriole for only one season. He missed a month of that year, but still finished second to Nettles for the home run title and led the league in slugging for the third time.
Jackson achieved much of his fame as a member of the Oakland A's from 1967-75. He helped them to five Western Division titles and three World Championships. Reggie led the league in home runs in 1973 and tied for the lead in 1975. In 1969 he challenged the Maris home run record and wound up with a career high of 47. In 1973, he was MVP in the A.L. and in the World Series, and also was the Sporting News Player of the Year.
In 1975, he became the only player to homer in all 12 American League parks in one season. His top home run parks are Oakland-130, Yankee Stadium-61, Baltimore-24, Milwaukee-20, Detroit-17 and Minnesota-16.
A nine-time All-Star, Reggie is best remembered for his tape-measure home run in Detroit in the 1971 All-Star Game, a shot that bounced off the transformer on the right field roof at Tiger Stadium. He was the top vote-getter in the 1974 fan balloting.
Jackson was drafted number one by Oakland in 1966 and signed after his sophomore year at Arizona State for a reported $95,000 bonus. He was the Southern League Player of the Year in 1967 and reached the majors by the end of the season. The Yankees player representative, Reggie also served in the same capacity with the A's until he was traded to Baltimore on April 2, 1976 with Ken Holtzman and Bill Van Bommel for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell.
Reggie has been the World Series MVP twice, in 1973 and again in his record-breaking 1977 Series- he set five Series records and tied three others. He continued in 1978 when he tied Lou Gehrig's record of at least one RBI in eight straight World Series games. Reggie has 23 World Series RBIs, 12th all-time and nine World Series homers, sixth all-time. He has now hit safely in 13 of his last 14 postseason games (ALCS and World Series), going 23-for-50 (.460), and he has reached base 29 of his last 50 trips to the plate in postseason play, a .580 on-base percentage. Reggie was injured and missed his first World Series in 1972 when he pulled a hamstring in a play at the plate in the final game of the ALCS against the Tigers. He has a .767 slugging percentage in World Series play, tops among those in 20 or more Series games.
One of six children born to Martinez and Clara Jackson, Reggie grew up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, where his father was a tailor. He played baseball, basketball, football and ran track at Cheltenham High School, where he ran the 100 in 9.7, was a halfback on the football team, and pitched three no-hitters. Reggie batted .550 in his senior year, earning both a baseball and a football scholarship to Arizona State. He left after his sophomore year, but went back to earn a Biology degree."
-New York Yankees 1980 Media Guide
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