Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is stepping down as a special advisor for the New York Yankees, he told the New York Post on Sunday.
“I would say I’ve stepped back a little bit, taken my retirement, really,” Jackson said. “I just think it’s time.”
Jackson, 74, has served in the role since the late George Steinbrenner named him to the post in 1993. The Steinbrenner family still owns the Yankees.
“I’ll never have anything bad to say about George,” Jackson said. “It’s just time to step back. I want to be around the game, and I want to contribute. I want to leave my knowledge. But it’s just time to move on.”
Jackson, a 14-time All-Star, became known as “Mr. October” after hitting five homers in the 1977 World Series to help the Yankees defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
Overall, he clubbed 18 postseason homers, which matched Mickey Mantle among all-time leaders at the time. Of his post-season homers, 12 came for the Yankees. He also hit five for the Oakland Athletics and one for the then-California Angels, reaching the postseason in 11 of his 21 seasons in the major leagues.
Jackson was MVP of the 1973 World Series when Oakland defeated the New York Mets in seven games. He was part of three World Series championship teams with the Athletics (1972-74) and two with the Yankees (1977-78).
Jackson smashed 563 regular-season homers in 21 seasons with the Athletics (1967-75, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), Yankees (1977-81) and Angels (1982-86). The homers rank 14th in major league history.
Jackson won American League MVP honors in 1973 when hit a league-high 32 homers. He tied for the homer lead three other times (1975, 1980 and 1982).
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
