Jackson takes the spotlight for Class of 1993

Written by: Janey Murray

As he sat in his Oakland, Calif., office awaiting a phone call on Jan. 5, 1993, Reggie Jackson had to wonder for a moment what would happen if the call never came.

Jackson recounted his thoughts to the Daily News: “What if I’m not elected? Where do I go? What do I do? What do I say? Where do I hide?”

But, to the surprise of almost no one, the call did come – and so Jackson took his place among baseball’s best, having been officially elected to the Hall of Fame.

In his first year on the ballot, Jackson garnered votes on 396 of the 423 ballots – good for 93.6 percent of the vote and the 10th highest vote total in history at the time. He became the 29th player to be elected in his first year on the ballot.

Jackson was the sole candidate on the BBWAA ballot to gain election in 1993. Phil Niekro landed in second place with 65.7 percent, while Orlando Cepeda finished third with 59.6 percent and Tony Pérez was fourth with 55.1 percent. All three would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Jackson’s election was the culmination of a 21-year playing career that began with the Athletics, who drafted him second overall out of Arizona State University in 1966. With Oakland, he captured three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74.

Jackson had a brief stint in Baltimore after the A’s traded him in April 1976, then signed with the Yankees as a free agent the following November.

It was in New York that he became Mr. October, capturing two World Series titles and being named World Series MVP in 1977, when he hit a record three homers in Game 6.

“The wisest investment I ever made,” then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said of his decision to sign Jackson.

When he became a free agent following the 1981 season, Jackson returned to the West Coast, signing with the California Angels. After five years with the Angels, he wrapped up his career with one final season in Oakland in 1987.

“The fact was, I never wanted to leave any of the teams I played with,” Jackson said. “I didn’t want to leave the A’s, but [former A’s owner] Charlie Finley was a tough guy and a tightwad. He knew baseball, though, and I’d have to say part of the reason for my success in New York was that Charlie Finley taught me how to go about things.”

Jackson retired with a .262 batting average, 563 homers and 2,584 hits, and was a 14-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion and two-time World Series MVP.

The day after he was elected to the Hall of Fame, Jackson traveled to New York for a press conference, with his 88-year-old father Martinez Jackson in attendance.

There, he announced that his plaque likeness in Cooperstown would feature a Yankees cap.

“I’m best remembered for what I did in New York, and being linked to Mantle, Ford DiMaggio, Ruth, Gehrig is a good thing for Reggie Jackson,” Jackson said. “That’s why I want to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee.”

Jackson would officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 1, 1993, in Cooperstown, as the sole member of the Class of 1993.