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Reggie Jackson Jackson also played 9 seasons with the Oakland Athletics and 5 seasons with the California Angels; he played 5 seasons with the Yankees. He is assigned to the Yankees because his Hall of Fame picture and plaque identify the Yankees. |
Reggie could talk and Reggie could hit: a sportswriter's dream. He started his career with the Oakland A's, and was one of the key elements of their dominant 1972-1974 championship teams. But the peak of his career was a boisterous five-year stint with the Yankees, which he began by asserting that he was "the straw that stirred the drink," a statement that drew the ire of new teammate Thurman Munson and manager Billy Martin.
The outspoken, flamboyant, muscular outfielder was a winner wherever he went. Known as "Mr. October" for his World Series heroics with both the Athletics and Yankees (10 home runs including four in a row, 24 RBIs and a .357 batting average in 27 games), he was one of the game's premier power hitters, blasting 563 career roundtrippers, sixth all-time. In 21 seasons, Jackson played on 11 divisional winners, six pennant winners, and five World Champions.
An exciting clutch player and intimidating clean-up hitter with a .490 lifetime slugging percentage,
he was the American League MVP in 1973. he was also an on-off player - for instance, in 1969 he hit three HR in Oakland against Seattle on Jul 2, and by July 29 he had 40 HR and was 23 games ahead of Ruth's 1927 pace. He then simply stopped hitting. The slump lasted throughout the 1970 season and into 1971; he made the All-Star game in Detroit because of an injury to Tony Oliva, and hit a mammoth blast over the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium which would have left the stadium completely had it not struck a light tower.
Aggressive on the basepaths and at the plate, he stole 228 bases during his career and was thrown out 115 times. His 2,597 whiffs at the plate are tops all time, leading Willie Stargell (1,936), Jose Canseco (now counting past (1,900) and Mike Schmidt (1,883).
"He'd give you the shirt off his back. Of course he'd call a press conference to announce it."
- Catfish Hunter
"There isn't enough mustard in the whole world to cover that hot dog."
- Darold Knowles
"When you unwrap a Reggie bar, it tells you how good it is."
- Catfish Hunter
"Fans don't boo nobodies."
- Reggie Jackson
"Hitting is better than sex."
- Reggie Jackson
"I am the best in baseball."
- Reggie Jackson
"I didn't come to New York to be a star, I brought my star with me."
- Reggie Jackson
"The only difference between me and those other great Yankees is my skin color."
- Reggie Jackson
"The only reason I don't like playing in the World Series is I can't watch myself play."
- Reggie Jackson
"After Jackie Robinson the most important black in baseball history is Reggie Jackson, I really mean that."
- Reggie Jackson
"To walk out (in Spring Training) and feel your spikes in the grass is a good feeling."
- Reggie Jackson
"It's not that Reggie is a bad outfielder. He just has trouble judging the ball and picking it up."
- Billy Martin
"Just as nature fills a vacuum, Reggie fills a spotlight."
- Bob Marshall
"Mark Twain said that politicians, old buildings, and prostitutes become respectable with age. Reggie Jackson would like to make it a foursome."
- Thomas Boswell in How Life Imitates the World Series (1982)
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