On This Date in Sports July 17, 1990
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Bo Jackson, the two-sport star continues to thrill baseball fans as he hits three home runs in his first three at bats against the New York Yankees in the Bronx, with seven RBI. Jackson though would not get a shot at history as he separates his shoulder diving for a ball. The ball was hit by Deion Sanders another two-sport star, who rounds the bases for an inside the park home run. The Royals win the game 10-7.
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Bo Jackson, was one of the best running backs in college football while at Auburn, taking home the Heisman Trophy in 1985. In the 1986 NFL Draft, Jackson was the top overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Jackson did not want to play in Tampa Bay and chose baseball instead with the Kansas City Royals. Despite some scoffs, Bo Jackson showed some promise early as he was blessed with both power and speed. In the middle of his first full season with the Royals, Jackson signed a contract with the Los Angeles Raiders, saying “Baseball was his occupation and football was his off-season hobby”. Bo Jackson would quickly become an All-Star in both sports, winning the 1989 All-Star Game MVP, with a lead off home run in Anaheim.
Deion Sanders was more focused on football, he would leave the Yankees when training camp started. Sanders who was one of the top cover corners in the NFL, was potentially one of the top base runners in baseball as the blazing speed he showed returning interceptions and punts made him a demon on the base paths. Though his lack of focus towards baseball prevented him from becoming a better hitter. In his second season with the Yankees, Deion was batting well below the Mendoza Line.
Bo Jackson was one of baseball’s most exciting players, while Deion Sanders was a football player trying to earn extra money in baseball. When they met for a Tuesday Night game in the Bronx with 26,777 fans on hand, all eyes were on Bo, as neither team were in serious contention with the Yankees were mired in last place. Bo Jackson gave them something to watch in the first inning as he hit a two-run home run to straight away Center Field off Andy Hawkins, with Deion Sanders trying in vain to climb the wall and make the catch. Bo’s second home run came in the third inning also against Hawkins, and it was an impressive blast to back of the bleachers in the Right Field, giving Kansas City a 5-1 lead. In the fifth inning, Bo Jackson took Andy Hawkins out to Right again, placing a ball into Yankees Stadium’s short porch to give the Royals an 8-1 lead. The home run was the 19th of the season for Bo Jackson, and the 100th of his career. The Yankees made the game closer in the bottom of the fifth on three-run blast by Steve Sax. In the sixth inning, Deion Sanders hit his first home run of the season as Jackson’s dive allowed the ball to roll to the wall to cut the Royals lead to 8-7. Sanders was only able to score after Catcher Mike MacFarlane was unable to hang on the ball, as Pat Tabler did a great job racing out to Center and getting the ball to Homeplate. The Royals would add two runs in the seventh inning on a base hit with two runners in scoring position by Willie Wilson to close out the scoring 10-7. Bo Jackson would miss six weeks due to the injury. In his first at bat off the Disabled List on August 26th, he would hit a 450-foot bomb off Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners, giving him four home runs in four straight at bats which tied a Major League record.
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Sadly, injuries would the story for Bo Jackson, as the following football season saw him suffer a crippling hip injury during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson would be released by the Royals and play with the Chicago White Sox in 1991. However, he was never the same as he needed hip replacement surgery and retired following the 1994 season with the California Angels. Deion Sanders meanwhile went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, while dabbling in baseball with several teams in a 13-year career.