Mr. October: Ranking Reggie's top 10 moments

Reggie Jackson has been called a lot of things. "Boring" is not among them.

Whether he was smashing one of his 582 home runs -- including the regular season, postseason and All-Star activity -- or adding to his regular-season total of 2,597 strikeouts, Jackson performed with flair. He seemed to possess an actor's sense of timing, as well as a sense of showmanship. When he generated offense, it counted; he didn't waste at-bats producing superfluous add-on runs. And he swung so hard that he sometimes appeared to be corkscrewing his body into the batter's box. Whether he was representing the A's, Yankees or Angels, Jackson swung hard and never cheated the fans.

Here are 10 samplings of memorable moments from Jackson's career.

1. REG-gie!! REG-gie!! REG-gie!!
Oct. 18, 1977

By becoming the only player besides Babe Ruth to hit three homers in a single World Series game, Jackson obviously contributed to the Yankees' 8-4 win in Game 6 that clinched their Fall Classic triumph over the Dodgers. Moreover, the surgical precision that he displayed at Yankee Stadium cemented his "Mr. October" reputation. After drawing a second-inning walk, Jackson homered off Burt Hooton in the fourth inning, Elias Sosa in the fifth and Charlie Hough in the eighth -- all on the first pitch. This wasn't just skill or brawn. This was sheer mastery, presented on baseball's biggest stage.

2. Compensating for lost time
Oct. 2?0-21, 1973

Jackson injured his left hamstring while stealing home in Game 5 of the 1972 American League Championship Series at Detroit and missed the World Series. Healthy for this Fall Classic against the Mets, Jackson demonstrated the drive that made him a supreme competitor. With the Mets leading the Series, 3-2, Jackson stroked a pair of RBI doubles off Tom Seaver to lead Oakland to a 3-1 triumph in Game 6. In Game 7, Jackson punctuated Oakland's four-run outburst against Jon Matlack in the third inning with a two-run homer. The A's cruised to a 5-2 victory and Jackson earned Most Valuable Player honors for the Series.

3. Payback
Oct. 11 and 17, 1978

A riveting confrontation between Jackson and Bob Welch provided a thrilling conclusion to Game 2 of the World Series. Welch, a rookie right-hander who, after being called up to the Majors in June, helped the Dodgers surge to the National League West title, faced Jackson with runners on first and second, two outs and Los Angeles clinging to a 4-3 lead. Throwing exclusively fastballs, Welch ended a nine-pinch faceoff by striking out Jackson to give the Dodgers a 2-0 Series edge. But Jackson had the final say. The Yankees won the next three games before Jackson and Welch met again in Game 6. This time, Jackson belted a two-run homer with one out in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach and help the Yankees clinch the Series.

4. Out of the park, almost literally
July 13, 1971

Many people regard the All-Star Game as just an exhibition. If that's the case, then Jackson staged an unforgettable exhibition all by himself. He crushed a fastball from Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis that struck a transformer situated in Tiger Stadium's upper deck. It remains one of Jackson's most signature moments.

5. Painful pilfering
Oct. 12, 1972

Jackson collaborated with Mike Epstein on a double-steal to score a key second-inning run in the ALCS finale in Detroit. But Jackson, who came home after Epstein stole second base, tore his left hamstring while sliding and was unavailable for the subsequent World Series against Cincinnati.

6. The real hero of the AL East tiebreaker game
Oct. 2, 1978

Everybody will remember Bucky Dent's three-run, seventh-inning homer off Mike Torrez as being the biggest hit of the Red Sox-Yankees one-game playoff for the AL East title. But Jackson's leadoff homer off Bob Stanley one inning later provided the Yankees' final run and enabled them to prevail, 5-4. It was the 27th homer of the season for Jackson, who handled designated-hitter responsibilities for New York that afternoon.

7. Hello again
April 27, 1982

Having signed with the Angels during the offseason, Jackson was bound to cause a stir when he returned to Yankee Stadium. Though poor weather shortened the game to seven innings, Jackson had enough time to generate drama. He homered in the seventh off Ron Guidry to clinch California's 3-1 win.

8. Walk-off on air
Sept. 14, 1977

This was a year of transition for Jackson, whose arrival in New York via free agency made him the subject of weighty expectations. He was on pace to finish the season with approximately 30 homers and 100 RBIs. But fans wanted nights such as this one. Jackson won some believers with his ninth-inning walk-off homer against Boston's Reggie Cleveland that lifted the Yankees to a 2-0 triumph.

9. Baby Ruth, Oh Henry! And …
April 13, 1978

When the Yankees played their home opener, attendees were treated to samples of the "Reggie!" bar, a cluster of peanuts dipped in caramel and coated with chocolate. Though the aforementioned confections were named neither for Babe Ruth nor Hank Aaron, enough people apparently thought they were and demanded a Reggie bar, particularly in the wake of his three-homer night the previous October. So, through the unwritten laws of supply and demand, Jackson got his candy bar.

10. Spreading the wealth
Sept. 17, 1984

Having thrived with the A's and Yankees, Jackson gave Angels fans a milestone to cherish by socking his 500th career home run in his third season with them. He became the first Major Leaguer to hit 100 or more homers with three different teams. He retired after the 1987 season with 563 homers, ranking him sixth all-time at that juncture. Oddly, Jackson never hit 30 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons.