When
Mike Jackson was growing up in East Houston, his friends knew where to always
find Mike; at the baseball field.
Mike was so fanatical about baseball that he would spend hours and hours
practicing. And if no one was
around for Mike to practice with, he’d make up drills and do them repeatedly by
himself. That fire stayed in
Mike and drove him to excellence.
After high school in 1982, he enrolled at Hill Junior College but did not stay
there long. In 1983 he was drafted
in the regular June draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
After two seasons in the Minors, Mike got his first opportunity in the
Big Leagues facing the New York Mets.
The Phillies lost, but Mike pitched one flawless inning with three outs.
That was the beginning of a great career for Mike.
As Craig Muder with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum wrote
about Mike, “when it came time to step into the spotlight, Jackson proved more
than ready".
Mike
became a full time relief pitcher in 1988 when he was traded to the Seattle
Mariners. The Mariners admired
Mike, but in 1991, they needed hitting more.
So he was traded in a five man deal to San Francisco.
Over the next few seasons Mike would be traded between Cincinnati, back
to the Mariners and then to the Cleveland Indians.
In Cleveland, Mike established his role as a closer earning his way to
the World Series in 1997. Then over
the 1998 and 1999 seasons, Mike notched 79 saves.
Mike had developed a knee buckling slider.
According to The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers Jackson's slider was rated in the
Top 20 of all-time.
Mike’s skill, drive and talent set him up for free agency in 2000 when he
signed back with the Phillies. Over
the next three seasons Mike would go to the Astos, Twins and finish his 17
season Big League career with the Chicago White Sox.
Mike was
a leader at a time when teams were solidifying the idea of a five man pitching
rotation. As Dr. Rany Jazayerli
wrote in the March 2, 2004 Baseball Prospectus, “The
40-game starter was rendered extinct,
baseball was changing. In the 70’s
and the early part of the 80’s starting pitchers were expected to go deep into
the game and whenever possible pitch complete games.”
In the decade prior to Mike coming up to Big League Baseball, there were
four and even three man rotations.
The use of the five man rotation would only work if the closer had great set-up
men to serve as a bridge for the starters.
The game needed men
like Mike Jackson. Former Indians
pitching coach said “I don’t think there’s a better competitor on the mound than
Jackson.” Mike’s final carrier numbers are:
a 3.42 ERA, 142 saves and 1,005 appearances – 12th-best all-time.
In a March 27, 2000 Sports Illustrated interview, Mike said "I know how to
handle adversity, and I know how to handle good times." Today as a coach
at Big League Baseball Academy, Mike often tells his players, "learn from
my experience, I've played at every level of Major League Baseball and faced
every circumstance as a pitcher. I know what to do".
