Bo Jackson, On This Day 1993

On This Day 1993

Sports history moment, on this day in 1993 the Chicago White Sox outfielder Bo Jackson fired a flat-footed throw from right field to take out Mike Gallego on third base.

Chicago White Sox 31-year old outfielder Bo Jackson is considered by many as one of the greatest all-around athletes ever.

He had a talent for football playing both baseball and football during his high school career at McCalla High School where he played running back as well as safety on defense earning All-State and All-America honors in both sports. He could have gone to college on a football scholarship but instead decided to sign with the LA Raiders of the NFL.

Bo Jackson eventually ended up playing for both baseball and football professionally, doing so the entire time he was playing for either one. Jackson had an amazing 44 games with over 20 hits during his three-year career in baseball, earning American League Rookie of the Year in 1986 and winning a World Series Championship in 1989 while playing for the Oakland Athletics.

He simultaneously played running back in football for both Chicago and California respectively and tallied impressive numbers in total rushing yards (5300) and average rushing yard (5.4 yards).

Jackson’s best season came in 1990 when he rushed for 1765 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award that year. Shortly after, Jackson sustained a career-ending hip injury during a football game but continued his baseball career for four more years before retiring in 1994 due to another hip injury.

His amazing speed and unique playing style led him to be one of President George Bush’s favorite athletes as he enjoyed watching him play on both teams.

Bo Jackson with the flat-footed throw from right field to take out Mike Gallego on third during an interleague game against New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

In this game, White Sox catcher John Hemmingson Gonzaga hit a ground ball to Yankee’s third baseman Mike Blowers and was thrown out at second base. Yankees outfielder Gerald Williams tried to advance from first but was tagged out by shortstop Ozzie Guillen.

With runners on the corners and two outs for New York, Jackson laid down a bunt but reached too far towards third base when he swung his bat which moved Gallego off the bag allowing him to be safe.

Gallego tried to get back to third but Jackson’s perfect throw nailed him in his tracks ending the inning and the threat holding New York scoreless in that half of an inning. The White Sox went on to win-1 against their rivals due to Jackson’s perfect throw.

Bo Jackson as a former Kansas City Royal and California Angel is simply amazing as he was able to make it big both on the diamond and on the gridiron; we wish him luck in his future endeavors.

Published by Jerry Howarth

It can't be said that Jerry Howarth has been here for the entire 35 years since the Jays took flight in 1977. In those days he was a student at the University of Western Ontario and although he did his homework on the road, doing play-by-play mostly for university games with Bobby Mattick as manager.