Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson was a charismatic slugger renowned for his postseason heroics with the Athletics and Yankees.

Reginald Martinez Jackson was born on May 18, 1946, in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, a working-class suburb just north of Philadelphia. His father, Martinez Jackson, was of half-Puerto Rican descent, a World War II veteran who had flown P-51 Mustangs over North Africa before returning home to run a tailoring and dry-cleaning business — and who had himself played second base for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues. When Reggie was six, his mother left with three of his siblings, and Martinez raised him and two brothers alone above the family shop, instilling both a work ethic and a love of sports. Jackson starred in football, basketball, baseball, and track at Cheltenham High School, drawing football scholarship offers from major programs including Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma. He instead accepted a football scholarship to Arizona State University, where a baseball coach eventually persuaded him to focus on that sport instead. The Kansas City Athletics selected him second overall in the 1966 draft, and Jackson debuted in the majors the following year, moving with the franchise when it relocated to Oakland in 1968. Jackson became the emotional and offensive centerpiece of the Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974, capturing American League MVP honors in 1973. After a stint in Baltimore, he signed with the New York Yankees in 1977 and delivered the signature moment of his career that October: in the decisive Game 6 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers, matching Babe Ruth's single-game record and cementing his nickname, "Mr. October." Over 21 seasons with the Athletics, Orioles, Yankees, and Angels, Jackson won five World Series championships, made 14 All-Star teams, and hit 563 home runs — a total that ranked sixth all-time upon his retirement in 1987. He led his league in home runs four times and remains, statistically, the sport's all-time strikeout leader, a testament to his all-or-nothing power-hitting approach. Known equally for his outsized personality and his clutch performances, Jackson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility, and both the Athletics and Yankees have retired his number in his honor.

Power hitter with exceptional clutch performance in big moments

Hall of Fame slugger known for dramatic postseason performances

• 5x World Series champion
• World Series MVP (1977)
• AL MVP (1973)
• 14x All-Star
• Hall of Fame 1993