Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 6, 1993 TAG: 9301060056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
HALL TAKES JACKSON
Again, Reggie Jackson is alone in the spotlight.Jackson, whose clutch hitting, charisma and controversy elevated him to a level all his own, was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
Jackson was listed on 93.6 percent of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, the 10th-highest total in history. He became the 29th player to make it to Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility.
Phil Niekro, a 318-game winner, fell short with 65.7 percent as a first-year candidate. Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez were further back.
Pete Rose got 14 write-in votes. A Hall of Fame rule prohibits banned players from appearing on the ballot. Last year, in what would've been Rose's first year of eligibility, he got 41 write-in votes.
A total of 75 percent of the votes was needed for election. Jackson was on 396 of 423 ballots.
This was the first year since Willie Stargell in 1988 that only one player was elected. The induction ceremonies will be held on Aug. 1 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Jackson hit 563 home runs, sixth on the career list, in 21 seasons. But he was known even more for his exploits in the postseason, where he earned the nickname of "Mr. October" and led teams to five World Series championships.
Jackson hit 10 home runs in 98 at-bats in the World Series. He played in six series - three each with Oakland and the New York Yankees - and batted .357. He also appeared in 11 playoff series.
Jackson had 1,702 RBI and batted .262 during his career with Oakland, the Yankees, Baltimore and California. He played in 12 All-Star games.
More impressive than his numbers, however, was the way in which he produced them.
Jackson hit three home runs on three pitches in the sixth and clinching game of the 1977 World Series, giving him a streak of four homers on four swings. Babe Ruth is the only other player to hit three home runs in a World Series game.
Jackson also hit one of the most memorable home runs in All-Star play, his drive off the light tower above right field at Tiger Stadium in the 1971 game.
Last summer, at age 46, Jackson showed he still had it. In an old-timers' event the day before the All-Star game in San Diego, he hit a 385-foot drive over the right-center field fence for a grand slam off Bob Gibson.
Jackson, however, did not always have to swing his bat to win games. With just a slight swing of his hips, he deflected a double-play relay by Los Angeles shortstop Bill Russell in the 1978 World Series.
In one of the most dramatic batter vs. pitcher confrontations ever, he struck out against Bob Welch to end Game 2 of the 1978 Series. The strikeout came on the ninth pitch of the duel, and came with two runners on base and the Yankees trailing 4-3. A few days later, he homered off Welch in Game 6.
Jackson won four American League home run championships and drove in 100 or more runs in six seasons. He set or tied six career records - all for strikeouts - and fanned 2,597 times, the most ever. He also tied the AL record by leading outfielders in errors in five seasons.
A total of 318 votes was needed for election this season. Niekro was named on 278 ballots, Cepeda got 252 and Perez had 233.