Reggie Jackson had a pretty good year in 1980. He hit .300 for the only time in his career, led the AL in homers, including the 400th of his Hall of Fame career, finished 2nd in the MVP balloting and led his team to the playoffs. He also almost died. Twice.
Nothing Good Happens After Midnight
On May 31st, Jackson stepped to the plate against Toronto’s Joey McLaughlin in the bottom of 11th inning of a tie game. With Lou Piniella aboard, Jackson hit a walk-off homer to give the Yankees an 8-6 win. Out on the town that evening, Jackson exchanged words with two men in a car that was blocking his way. The other car parked and 25 year-old Angel Viera got out and started throwing things at Jackson.
Two other man recognized Jackson and came to his aid and began to chase Viera, who then turned and fired three shots into the air. Police found three bullet holes in a nearby awning and charged Viera with attempted murder among other things.
“Nothing surprises me in New York, especially at 2 am,” said Yankees manager Dick Howser. “I’m just glad he wasn’t hurt.”
History Repeats Itself
About two months later, Reggie Jackson hit another big home run. This one happened to be the 400th of his career. The blast, along with a tw-run shot by newly acquired Aurelio Rodriguez gave the Yankees a 3-1 win over the White Sox and enabled them to hold off the hard-charging Baltimore Orioles who won their 10th straight game on the same evening.
Becoming just the 19th player in history to reach the 400 homer mark calls for a celebration and once again, Reggie went out to sample the New York night life. Shortly before 2 am, Jackson exited the Jim McMullen bar in Manhattan when he was approached by a young kid with a large gun.
“It was the biggest gun I ever saw,” Jackson told the New York police. “He was pointing the gun at my head. I thought he was going to shoot me.”
The assailant lowered the gun to reach into Reggie’s Rolls Royce and grab the keys. Jackson seized the opportunity to smack the kid with the door of the luxury car, causing him to run away.
“Have you ever had a guy point a gun at your head and thought he was going to shoot you?” Jackson asked. “Let me tell you it’s some trip.”
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