This Day in Yankees History, August 11, 1980: Reggie Jackson hits 400th career HR vs Chicago White Sox
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| Photo Credit: 1980s Baseball |
The
Yankees’ die-hard fans of all ages have all come to know Mr. Reggie Jackson as
the one and only Mr. October. But, one
of his most memorable career accomplishments came during the month of August,
three seasons after he earned the name Mr. October in 1977 following hitting
three consecutive home runs in that year’s World Series. It is an accomplishment that many Yankees
fans of the time are sure to remember (perhaps with a similar nostalgia to how
I remember Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit game).
During
the third inning of play against the Chicago White Sox, Jackson was up at bat
against pitcher Britt Burns, when he connected with the ball for career home run
#400. The Yankees would go on to win the
game by a score of 3-1.
Over
the course of the 1980 season, Jackson would go on to hit a career high 41 home
runs. As such, #400 does not seem as
though it was unprecedented or unexpected.
Jackson would also record 111 RBIs, 94 runs, 154 hits and a batting
average of .300. Additionally, he would
come in second in voting for the American League MVP.
Burns
was not having a career-low season, either; his record at the end of the 1980
season came to 15-13, with a 2.84 ERA. In
fact, as 1980 was his first season in MLB, Burns came in fifth in the voting
for American League Rookie of the Year. So,
Burns would not even go down in history as a “bad pitcher” -- he just had the
misfortune of pitching Jackson his 400th home run ball, and that’s a large part
of how he’s remembered. Every pitcher
gives up home runs. Not every pitcher
gives up milestone home runs -- in Burns’ case, his giving up a milestone home
run was simply a case of bad luck.
Jackson
would become the fourth player to record home run #400 in a Yankees uniform,
along the likes of with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig.
Article by: Mary Grace Donaldson
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