Reitz played four seasons in the minor leagues from 1969 to 1972. He made his MLB debut on September 5, 1972, at the age of 21, In his rookie season the following year, he replaced
Joe Torre as the Cardinals' starting third baseman, with Torre returning to
first base. Reitz garnered the nickname "
Zamboni" for his skill at scooping up ground balls on the
artificial turf of
Busch Memorial Stadium. He led all
National League (NL) third basemen in
fielding percentage in 1973 and 1974, and won the NL
Gold Glove Award at the position in 1975. Reitz played just one season with the Giants before being traded back to the
Cardinals for
Lynn McGlothen on December 10, 1976. He again led the NL in fielding percentage at third base in 1977, 1978, and 1980. He was a starter in the
1980 MLB All-Star Game. He was subsequently traded to the
Chicago Cubs for
Bruce Sutter on December 9 of that same year. He led NL third basemen in fielding percentage for a sixth time in 1981, but played in just 82 games and was released prior to the 1982 season. He signed for the
Pittsburgh Pirates in mid-May and went hitless in 11
plate appearances. He played his final major league game on June 3, 1982, several weeks short of his 31st birthday, and was released two days later. finishing the season at .270. On September 11, 1974, against the
New York Mets at
Shea Stadium, with the Cardinals trailing 3–1 with two out in the ninth and
pinch runner Larry Herndon on base, he hit a home run off starter
Jerry Koosman to send the game into
extra innings. The score remained tied 3–3 until
Bake McBride scored the winning run from first base on two Met errors in the top of the 25th inning. ==Later life==