JACKSON, REGGIE

born May 18, 1946, Wyncote, Pa., U.S. Reggie Jackson. byname of Reginald Martinez Jackson professional American League baseball player. Jackson was encouraged in sports by his Spanish father and became a star athlete at Cheltenham (Pa.) High School, excelling in track and football as well as baseball, in which he was a good pitcher as well as a hitter. He batted and threw left-handed. He continued his athletic career at Arizona State University (Tempe), but after two years he became a professional baseball player. He played with Kansas City Athletics farm teams (196768) and joined the Athletics in 1968 when the team moved to Oakland, Calif., remaining with the team through the 1975 season. He made his mark as a home-run hitter and was also an exceptional base runner and a good outfielder, particularly on balls that were hard to play. He led the league in home runs (1973, 1975). Playing on the World Series-winning Athletics (197274), Jackson in the 1973 World Series batted .310, drove in all three runs as Oakland won the sixth game, and hit a two-run homer in the decisive seventh game. In 1976 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and in 1977 as a free agent he signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees for nearly $3 million. He led the league in home runs in 1980. In the final game of the 1977 World Series, he hit three consecutive home runs and drove in five runs as the Yankees won 8 to 4. In the 1978 World Series he hit .391 and two home runs. From 1973 he played mainly as a designated hitter (not playing in the field). Jackson also enjoyed a career as a sports commentator.