Mike Jackson, American baseball player

Michael Ray Jackson (born December 22, 1964) is a former professional baseball player whose career spanned 19 seasons, 16 of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackson, a relief pitcher for the majority of his career, compiled a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.42, allowing 451 earned runs off of 983 hits, 127 home runs, and 464 walks while recording 1,006 strikeouts over 1,005 games pitched.

Standing 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg), he made his professional debut in 1984 for the minor-league Spartanburg Suns, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. After battling arm injuries in the early 1990s, Jackson reestablished himself as a top relief pitcher for the Reds in 1995 and went on to pitch in the 1997 World Series for the Indians, for whom he then served as the full-time closer in 1998 and 1999. After one-year stints with the Astros, Twins, and White Sox, Jackson retired from baseball in 2005.