Today in Sports History: September 17th

On the seventeenth anniversary of his first career home run, Reggie Jackson sends a pitch from Royals’ pitcher Bud Black to the fences. It was the 500th home run of his career, making him the 13th player in history to reach the illustrious 500-mark. Jackson, who was actually scouted by the New York Mets when he was just 11 years old, is best known for his hectic stint with the New York Yankees which included a pair of World Series championship. His historic home run occurred exactly 17 years to the day of his career hit.

Jackson was let go by the Yankees in 1981 and played five seasons with the Angels before heading back to Oakland, where he began his career, for a final stop. It was in Oakland that he had won three World Series rings and established himself as one of the greatest sluggers in the game.