A'S HISTORY: #9 REGGIE JACKSON

by Maty McNeil
Oakland A's History Series

To the modern baseball fan, the name 'Reggie Jackson' is singularly synonymous with the 1977 Yankees, Billy Martin, and the Summer of Sam.  The bespeckled #44, standing in a confetti-strewn right field at Yankee Stadium, is one of the most indelible images of '70s baseball and will forever retain its rightful place among Yankees lore.  But what many forget is that Jackson put up one hell of a career during his time in Oakland, a tenure that earned him an MVP, 3 World Championships, 8 All-Star appearances, and eventually, a retired number.  Sure, he had five remarkable years with New York, but Reggie did his first drink-stirring by the Bay.

The Nigger With the White Girlfriend

Notorious cheap-skate and A's owner Charlie Finley plucked Jackson in the 1st round, 2nd overall in the 1966 draft.  The Mets, who had the first pick, decided to select catcher Steve Chilcott over Jackson because Jackson had a white girlfriend.  Big mistake.  By the time he was drafted, Jackson was a veritable athletic prodigy: he was recruited out of high school to play football for Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, all of whom were willing to break the color barrier just to sign Jackson.  He eventually signed with Arizona on a football scholarship.  After one football practice, he approached Arizona's baseball coach and asked for a tryout.  In five at-bats he hit three home runs.  Jackson ended up racing through the A's farm system, playing road games in Birmingham, Alabama where he was called a "nigger," before making his big-league debut on June 9, 1967 against Cleveland.  Reggie hit just .178 that year with a single home run in 135 at-bats.  But the following season he showed marked improvements.  He hit .250 with 29 home runs but had 171 strikeouts, a near record.  Regardless, the A's knew they had something.  And then in 1969...

The 23-year-old Reggie went gang-busters in the '69 campaign: .275, 47 home runs, 118 RBI's, 1.018 OPS, All-Star, and 5th in MVP race.  At one period, he was on-pace to break Roger Maris' single season home run record.  He approached cheap-skate Finley after the year to ask for a raise whereupon Finley basically told him to fuck off and threatened to send him to the minors.  Apparently miffed, Jackson's numbers slid off considerably during the '70 season.

A's Roll to 3 Championships

The A's won the Western Division title in 1971, their 1st first-place finish since 1931.  That year Jackson hit a mammoth home run in the 1971 All-Star at Tiger Stadium off Dock Ellis that is still remembered today.  His home run came during a pinch-hit for Vida Blue, who had a remarkable 1971 season in his own right [see below].

In 1972, the A's finished 93-62 and reached the playoffs once again.  In a hotly-contested division series against the Tigers, Jackson stole home in pivotal game five and tore his hamstring in the process.  He was unable to play in the World Series against the Reds, a series Oakland would win. 

Emotionally crushed by the injury, Jackson came out with a vengeance in the 1973 season.  He earned the MVP that season, hitting a league best 32 home runs, league best 117 RBI's, and a league best .914 OPS.  He also stole 25 bases and played some of the best defense in his career.  In a hard-fought 7-game series against the Mets to win the World Series, Jackson hit .310 and was crowned World Series MVP.   

The A's won the World Series again in 1974, beating Los Angeles.  Jackson racked up a 1.045 OPS in World Series, leading Oakland to a 4-games-to-1 shellacking. 

Final Year in Oakland and a Comeback

Jackson hit 36 home runs in his final year in Oakland, his second-best total.  But his OBP was a pedestrian .329 and the A's were trounced in the Division Series 3-0 by the Red Sox.  The A's were left vulnerable after Catfish Hunter left the team, and despite a strong playoff performance by Reggie (.417 avg), he was granted free-agency and signed with Baltimore.

Reggie Jackson at Tiger Stadium, 1971

Mercurial Reggie proved to be no stranger to controversy during his final years by the Bay.  Sportswriter Dick Crouser wrote, "When the late Al Helfer was broadcasting the Oakland A's games, he was not too enthusiastic about Reggie Jackson's speed or his hustle. Once, with Jackson on third, teammate Rick Monday hit a long home run. 'Jackson should score easily on that one,' commented Helfer."

He made a comeback to Oakland in his final year in the big leagues at age 41 in 1987.  That season he hit a meager .220 with 15 blasts.

Leaving a Legacy

Sal Bondo was a solid force to be reckoned with in the A's lineup, but Reggie Jackson provided the strongest punch in the A's order during the '70s dynasty.  Teammate Darold Knowles once knocked Reggie for his ego:  "There isn't enough mustard in the world to cover Reggie Jackson," but regardless, it's unlikely the A's would've clinched those World Titles without him, especially in 1973.  Had Charlie Finley not been such a cheap-ass by fire-saling the team in 1976, who knows how many titles the A's could've won with big Reg aboard.

Reggie Jackson's Oakland Stats:

AVG	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS	BB	SO	GIDP
.262	234	27	269	776	145	67	.355	.496	.851	633	1226	68

A Big Song from 1972: