Reed bounced between the majors and minors for four seasons before a July 1988 trade sent him to the Reds, and an injury to Bo Diaz made him a starter in 1989. It proved to be the first of only three 100-game seasons in Reed's seventeen-year major-league career. He never hit well enough to hold down a starting job (although he socked seventeen homers for the Rockies in 1997) but his left-handed stance, rare for a catcher, made him a valuable platoon mate and pinch-hitter.
Normally excellent defensively (Reed led his league's catchers in assists five times in the minors), he tied a 68-year-old record for catchers with three errors in the seventh inning of a game on July 28, 1987.
Reed, a White Sox fan in his youth, turned down offers from the Braves and Astros to sign with the Cubs after he was released by Colorado in July 1999. "Harry [Caray] used to say, `Here's the Joliet kid. This guy just kills us,' " Reed told reporters after inking the deal. "Steve [Stone] would look up the stats and say, `Harry, Jeff Reed is a .220 lifetime hitter against the Cubs.' And Harry would say, `I don't care what the numbers are, this guy kills us.' " (SCL/JGR)
Contribute your recollections of Jeff Reed by clicking here.
»July 28, 1987: Montreal's Jeff Reed makes three errors in the 7th inning of an 8–3 loss to the Cubs, tying the major-league record for catchers.
»October 10, 1990:
Bob Patterson gets Jeff Reed to hit into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded to save the Pirates' 3–2 win over the Reds and send the NLCS back to Cincinnati for game 6.
»July 2, 1999:
Umpire Tom Hallion is suspended for three games for his actions during an argument with Colorado catcher Jeff Reed and pitching coach Milt May on June 26th. The dispute began when Rockies pitcher Mike DeJean, while walking to his dugout complained to third base umpire Terry Tata about a check-swing call, and home plate ump Hallion, told DeJean to get in the dugout. Officials couldn't recall another suspension of an umpire for an on-field dispute. In 1990, National League president Bill White was prepared to suspend umpire Joe West for slamming Philadelphia pitcher Dennis Cook to the field, but commissioner Fay Vincent intervened and no discipline was imposed.
»July 14, 1999: In an ill-conceived move, umpires union-chief Richie Phillips announces that 57 umpires will resign on September 2. Among other things, the umps reportedly are upset at the 3-day suspension Tom Hallion received for bumping Rockies C Jeff Reed on July 2.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
