Jeffrey
James Reardon (born October 1,
1955) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB)
from 1979–1994 with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees. Reardon was nicknamed "The
Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and
98 mph fastball.[1] A long-time closer, Reardon became MLB's all-time saves leader in 1992 with his 342nd save, breaking Rollie Fingers' previous record of 341. Reardon's record was
broken the following season by Lee Smith. Reardon
currently ranks 10th on the all-time saves list with 367. Out of high school, Reardon
was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the
23rd round of the 1973 amateur draft,
but did not sign. Reardon played college baseball for the University
of Massachusetts Amherst. While at UMass, he played collegiate summer baseball for
three years (1974-76) with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League,
and in 2000 was named a member of the inaugural class of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.[2] After college, Reardon went undrafted and
signed a minor league contract
with the New York Mets in
1977, and was assigned to the Lynchburg Mets in the Single-A Carolina League. Although undrafted, Reardon quickly made his
way through the Mets' farm system, compiling a 30–9 record with a 2.68 ERA and
6 saves in 74 games combined between Lynchburg, Jackson in 1978, and Tidewater in 1979. Reardon
made his Major League debut with the Mets on August 25, 1979, and would stay in
the majors for the rest of his career. He pitched for the Mets until midway
through the 1981 season, working mostly as a middle reliever, when he was
traded to the Montreal Expos along with outfielder Dan Norman for Ellis Valentine. Lacking a reliable closer on the big league
staff, the Expos immediately turned Reardon loose in the ninth inning, and he
responded by saving 146 games from 1982 to 1986. When with the Expos, Reardon suffered
streaks of inconsistency, occasionally blowing two or three save opportunities
in a row. During one bad streak in 1983, Montreal players' wives were invited
to appear on the field, and the Expos' fans at Olympic Stadium booed
his wife. During his time in Montreal, Reardon was named to the All-Star team
twice (1985–1986), and led the majors in saves during the 1985 season, earning
the Rolaids
Relief Man of the Year Award. Prior to the start of the 1987 season,
Reardon was again traded—this time to the Minnesota Twins along with
catcher Tom Nieto—for pitchers Neal Heaton, Yorkis Pérez, and Alfredo Cardwood and catcher Jeff Reed. Although his
performance dropped as compared to his previous five seasons, the trade would
immediately pay dividends for the team as he would help the Twins win the 1987 World Series. The next season, he reverted to form, was
named to his third All-Star team, and became the first pitcher in Major League
Baseball history to have 40-save seasons in both the American and National
Leagues. After another good season in 1989, Reardon became a free agent and
signed with the Boston Red Sox on December 6. In honor of Reardon's signing,
his birthplace of Dalton, Massachusetts,
named its athletic field after him. After saving only 21 games for
the Red Sox in 1990, Reardon was named to his fourth and final All-Star team in
1991 after another 40-save season. He broke Rollie Fingers' all-time saves
record in 1992 with his 342nd save. Later that season, he was traded to the
Atlanta Braves for starting pitcher Nate Minchey and minor league outfielder Sean Ross. With the Braves, he
pitched in his second World Series and was responsible for two of Atlanta's
four losses versus Toronto, blowing a save in Game 2 and giving up the winning
hit in Game 3. Following the 1992 season, Reardon signed as a free agent with
the Cincinnati Reds. However, his days of closing were over; he worked as the
setup man to Rob Dibble. Reardon
finished the 1993 season with his highest ERA (4.09) since 1987 and his fewest
saves (8) since 1981. Granted free agency, Reardon signed with the New York
Yankees on February 15, 1994. Although he went north with the team, Reardon
retired on May 4, 1994, after compiling an 8.38 ERA while allowing 17 hits
over 9+2⁄3 innings in 11 games.[6] After his 16-year career, Reardon stood second
on the all-time saves list (to Lee Smith), finishing with more saves (367) than
walks (358) and was the only reliever to have more than 20 saves every year
from 1982 to 1988.