Reggie Jackson Gives Yankees Their Monies Worth

It did not take Reggie Jackson nearly as long to be signed as a free agent in 1976 as it is taking first baseman Prince Fielder in 2012. New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner signed Jackson to a five year 2.96 million dollar contract on November 29, 1976, less than two months after the season had ended.

Steinbrenner did this with good reason. New York had just been swept in the World Series by the Cincinnati Reds. They had built a solid team around veterans Thurman Munson, Chris Chambliss and Lou Piniella. They needed one great player to get them over the top.

Enter Reggie Jackson.

Jackson came to New York from the Baltimore Orioles where he had been acquired in a trade with the Oakland A’s. In Oakland, he had helped the A’s to three consecutive world championships and been named American League Most Valuable Player in 1973. Unhappy with the trade to Baltimore, Jackson held out before joining the team. He finished the season with a .277 batting average, 27 home runs and 91 runs batted in.

According to Jackson he made an offer to the Orioles in which he would sign for 1.5 million dollars over five years. The Orioles said no and Reggie Jackson was off to New York for almost twice the money.

The impact of the Orioles not signing Jackson would be felt over the next five years. From 1977 to 1981 the Yankees won four American League East championships, three pennants and back to back World Series in 1977 and ’78. Meanwhile, Baltimore would finish second three times to New York during this period and win only one pennant in 1979. The Orioles won 100 games in 1980 and finished second to the Yankees.

One could make a case with Reggie Jackson in an Orioles uniform things may have been different. Former Orioles outfielder and designated hitter Ken Singleton says that Jackson is quick to point this out to him whenever they meet. Instead the Orioles were left to watch Jackson become ‘Mr. October.’

In his first two seasons as a Yankee, Jackson helped lead the team to back to back world’s championships. In 1977, the Yankees won the East by two and a half games over Baltimore then defeated the Kansas City Royals to win the AL pennant. New York went on to win the World Series in six games over the Los Angeles Dodgers with Reggie Jackson hitting a memorable three home runs in the clincher.

In 1978 the Yankees repeated as champions with Jackson hitting the home run which proved to be the deciding run in an AL East playoff against the Boston Red Sox. In the World Series he hit a towering home run off of the Dodgers Bob Welch to help clinch it.

The Yankees would go on to lose in the 1981 World Series to the Dodgers and Jackson signed with the California Angels after that season.

But George Steinbrenner had definitely gotten his monies worth out of Reggie Jackson.