Yankees-Dodgers iconic moments: Reggie Jackson becomes Mr. October

Reggie Jackson called himself “the straw that stirs the drink.”

In Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, he stirred across five runners with three booming swings of his bat, hitting three home runs on three straight swings. 

In a long history of iconic Yankees home runs, Jackson’s three blasts in Game 6 of that year are etched near the top of the list. No player has ever repeated the feat of hitting three home runs on just three swings in a World Series game since then. At least, not outside of video games with cheat codes. 

When Jackson stepped to the plate for his third at-bat that night, Oct. 18, 1977, a roaring Yankee Stadium was heard in the eighth inning. Most Americans watched on their TVs and were given a quick reminder of just how unusual Jackson’s game had been already. 

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Baseball: World Series: New York Yankees Reggie Jackson (44) in action, at bat vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6. Bronx, October 18, 1977. (Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

“Reggie Jackson has seen two pitches in the strike zone tonight. Two. And he’s hit them both in the seats,” ABC play-by-play man Keith Jackson said when Reggie stepped into the batter’s box. 

The broadcaster didn’t even know what was about to happen. And what happened was so shocking that it caused the ABC broadcast team to completely lose sense of its structure. 

When the ball left the bat, Keith Jackson began his call, but he could only get one word in, saying, “High,” before his color commentator Howard Cosell went rogue and took the call for himself. 

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Yankees’ Reggie Jackson hits his third home run of the game against the Dodgers. The Yankees won 8-4 in the 6th game of the World Series.  (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

“Goodbye! Oh, what a blow! What a way to top it off!” Cosell yelled as the ball bounced off the black-painted batter’s eye and into a fan’s waiting hands. “Forget about who the Most Valuable Player is in the World Series. How this man has responded to pressure.”

And then, when Jackson was crowned in that moment as Mr. October, finally trotted home, Cosell still hadn’t settled back into his role. He still called the whole thing over his partner. 

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Catcher Thurman Munson, #15 of the New York Yankees, watches as manager Billy Martin, #1, hugs outfielder Reggie Jackson, #44, enters the dugout after hitting his third home run of Game Six of the World Series on October 18, 1977, against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. (1977 Rich Pilling/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

“Oh, what a beam on his face,” said Cosell as Reggie crossed home plate. “Who can blame him? He’s answered the whole world!”

And just one inning later, the Yankees clinched their first World Series title in 15 years. 

Jackson was easily crowned the MVP. He finished the series with a batting average of .450 with 9 hits, 5 homers, 8 RBIs and 10 runs scored in six games with a then-record 25 total bases. 

“All I had to was show up at the plate. They were going to cheer me even if I struck out,” Jackson said after the game.

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