On this date in 1976, the Yankees signed outfielder Reggie Jackson to a five-year contract worth $3.5 million. It made him the highest paid player in baseball at the time.
Jackson, then 30, played the 1976 season with the Orioles after spending the first nine years of his career with the Athletics. He hit .270/.368/.517 (154 OPS+) and averaged 32 home runs per season from 1969-75.
The Yankees won four AL East titles, three AL pennants and two World Series titles during Jackson's five years in the Bronx. His postseason heroics -- he hit .328 with 12 home runs in 34 playoff games with the Yankees -- earned him the nickname Mr. October.
Most notably, Jackson hit three home runs in the title-clinching Game 6 of the 1977 World Series against the Dodgers. He hit the three homers on three pitches against three different pitchers.
Jackson hit .281/.371/.526 (148 OPS+) with 114 home runs and 461 RBI during his five years in New York, otherwise known as the Bronx Zoo era thanks to his ongoing feud with manager Billy Martin.
After finishing his career with the Angels and another stint with the A's, Jackson retired with 563 career home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1993. Jackson is wearing a Yankees hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.
