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. [1] [7]
Post career
After the end of his career, Reardon retired to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida at PGA National Golf Club [8] with his wife, Phebe, and three children, Jay, Shane, and Kristi, turning down offers to coach in order to spend time with his family. Other than appearing as a corporate sponsor and speaker for Lerner Sports Marketing, [9] Reardon's retirement was uneventful.
On February 21, 2004, Reardon's son, Shane—who had long struggled with drugs and had been sent to the Academy at Swift River, a therapeutic boarding school in Massachusetts for his senior year in high school—died of a drug overdose at the age of 20. [10] Following his son's death, Reardon spiraled into depression, even trying to take his life, before seeking psychiatric help. Following a one-week stay in a clinic, Reardon was prescribed a half-dozen antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. [1] Just before Christmas 2005, Reardon was diagnosed with a blocked artery in his heart, which required insertion of a heart stent, being the second Reardon had needed. Following surgery, Reardon developed a urinary-tract infection, requiring more medications. By this time, he was taking more than a dozen separate prescriptions, one of which was Levaquin, which is known to have side effects such as paranoia, anxiety and depression—further exacerbating his pre-existing conditions. [1]
On December 26, 2005, Reardon was taken into custody in the parking area and charged by the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Police Department for allegedly committing armed robbery at a Hamilton Jewelers store inside The Gardens Mall. [11] Reardon attributed his actions to the influence of the medications which he had been taking since his son died in 2004. [12] [13] Soon after the episode at the mall and his release from an overnight stay in jail, Reardon returned to a psychiatric facility, and was an inpatient for nearly two months. At that time, his doctors drastically reduced his medications and began to administer electroshock treatments. However, Reardon still had to stand trial.
Reardon was found not guilty of the charges by reason of drug-induced insanity. [14] The judge ruled because Reardon had been taking anti-depressants and mood stabilizers, and he was distraught over his son's death, there was no reasonable explanation for the robbery. In addition, Reardon was not required to be committed after the ruling.
After the death of their son, the Reardons established a foundation in Shane's name dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction. [15]
See also
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References
- 1 2 3 4 "The heart of Jeff Reardon's darkness". ESPN.com. September 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Hall of Fame Ceremony 20 January 2001". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon Athletic Field". ballparkreviews.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "PGA National Homes for Sale & PGA National Real Estate, – Jeff Lichtenstein". jeffrealty.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Jeff Reardon baseball Bio and Statistics". lernersportsmarketing.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ Frias, Carlos (January 22, 2006). "Son's fatal overdose consumes ex-pitcher". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on February 3, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ↑ "Reardon blames drug reaction for robbery attempt". KARE 11. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Shane Reardon Obituary – West Palm Beach, Florida". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ David Kesmodel. "Former Reliever's Bizarre Arrest Breaks From Usual Blotter Fare". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Judge finds Reardon not guilty on robbery charge". ESPN.com. August 28, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "The Terminator: Jeff Reardon's legendary career as a closer earns him No. 3 spot in our Berkshire County Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century list". Berkshire Eagle. September 11, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Jeff Reardon at Baseball Almanac
| Jeff Reardon | |
|---|---|
 Reardon with the Minnesota Twins in 1987 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:October 1, 1955 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 25, 1979, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 4, 1994, for the New York Yankees |