Rockfest Day 22 - Mr. October

The Boys of October – that’s what they are called. The baseball players who are still playing baseball because their teams are in the Playoffs. I love baseball and I love October so this time of year I am pretty much in hog heaven.

I think my love of Playoff baseball started around the time I was in the 7th grade. The Dodgers were playing the Yankees in the World Series. My Grandmother was a huge baseball fan. She had gotten me hooked on following the game that summer. She was a betting woman – friendly bets nothing serious – and her “money” was on the Yankees and Reggie Jackson, Mr. October.

Likewise, I made a friendly bet with my boyfriend on the Series. I am named after my Grandmother so naturally I too picked the Yanks and Reggie. It was a tremendous series. If you follow baseball at all there were stars on both teams – The Dodgers, managed by the brilliant Tommy Lasorda, had Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, and Tommy John (for whom a pitcher’s reconstructive elbow surgery is named), Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker just to name a few. The Yankees, managed by the colorful Billy Martin, had Catfish Hunter, Sparky Lyle, Ron Guidry, Thurman Munson, Lou Piniella, Bucky Dent and Mr. October.

1977 was Reggie’s first season with the Yankees and it is true that that season did not go all that smoothly. In the clubhouse personalities and egos clashed. That is likely to happen when so many talented people are put together. Everyone wants to be the leader. But out on the field was a different story. This team was special. The Series was special.

The whole Series was a fist fight. There were pitchers duels with games ending 4-3. There were games when batters took charge and the score getting blown out 6-1. The first game, at Yankee Stadium, went 12 innings. It seemed like for both teams there was always a different player each night stepping up and meeting the challenge for their team. Game 1 – Yankees, Game 2 – Dodgers, Games 3 & 4 - Yankees, Game 5 – Dodgers. Then came Game 6.

October 18, 1977 belonged to Mr. October. The Dodgers never really even stood a chance, although they gave it their all. Reggie Jackson was sent to the plate 4 times. The first time he was walked on 4 straight pitches. His next 3 at bats – he hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw. 3 at bats; 3 homeruns. He was responsible for 5 of the Yankees 8 runs that night. Howard Cosell could hardly contain his glee when calling the game and the third of Jackson’s home runs. Game 6 and the Series – Yankees. Win of friendly bet vs. boyfriend – me.

Reggie Jackson was given the nickname Mr. October when a reporter was talking to a teammate who gruffly told the reporter to go talk to “Mr. October.” But the name stuck and became synonymous with clutch performance. Reggie hit homeruns in games 4 and 5 for a total of 5 homeruns in the Series and was responsible for 8 total runs during the Series with the Dodgers. That is clutch performance. When hitting 3 out of 10 times is considered a good average, Reggie was hitting 4.5 times out of 10. That is clutch. Three consecutive first-pitch homeruns in one game. That is clutch.

Clutch performance is what we all need from our teammates. We need a teammate that is our go to guy. That will hit the ball 10 out of 10 times. That will dig our team out of a hole, be there for us when we falter, get behind or are facing a more powerful opponent.  That we know will hit a home run for us each and every time we send him up to bat.

Luckily, we have our own Mr. October on our team. He is right here with us, all day, all game, every game, just waiting for us to ask Him to step up for us. But like Billy Martin had to put Reggie Jackson into the official line up every night to make him eligible to play, our Mr. October cannot step up to the plate for us if we don’t ask Him to join our line up and hand Him the bat. He is waiting to step up and meet our challenges for us.

Let’s not leave our Teammate on the bench. Invite Him into the game. It’s going to be a beautiful night for a homerun.
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