Reggie Jackson.

Reggie Jackson. Reggie Jackson, born in 1946, American baseball player, the sixth-leading home run hitter of all time (563) and the all-time career strikeout leader (2597). Jackson was born Reginald Martinez Jackson in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. In 1964 he entered Arizona State University and played football and baseball there before signing a baseball contract in 1966 with the Kansas City Athletics (known as the A's), who later moved to Oakland, California. Jackson joined the A's in 1967 after a brief period in the minor leagues. In 1969 he gained recognition as a power hitter when he had a career-high total of 47 home runs, with 118 runs batted in. Jackson was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1976, then signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent the following season. He had his greatest success with the Yankees, leading the team to three East Division championships (1977, 1978, 1980), two American League pennants, and two World Series championships in 1977 and 1978. He hit four consecutive home runs in the fifth and sixth games of the 1977 World Series, each coming on a first pitch off four different Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers. That unprecedented performance under pressure earned Jackson the nickname "Mr. October." Jackson's brash public persona and dramatic performances on the field supported his claim that he was "the straw that stirs the drink." He retired after the 1987 season and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. Contributed By: Thomas R. Heitz Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.