Top 106 Baseball Players: #76 - Allie Reynolds

Allie Reynolds

Allie Reynolds was the best pitcher of the Yankees dynasty of the late 1940's and early 1950's, and it was his performance in the World Series that brought many championships to New York.

Reynolds broke into the Majors with the Indians in 1942, and split time between starting and relieving. In his second season he led the league in strikeouts, but he never really reached his full potential with Cleveland, and he was traded to the Yankees after the 1946 season.

Immediately upon Reynolds' arrival in New York, the Yankees immediately became contenders again, after having missed the playoffs for 3 straight seasons. The Yankees reached the World Series 6 times in his first 7 years with the team, winning the championship each time, including 5 straight seasons from 1949 to 1953.

His best postseason came in 1949, when he started 2 games, pitching over 12 innings without allowing a run and giving up only 2 hits while also earning a save in relief as the Yankees beat the Dodgers in 5 games.

He was nearly as good the next year, allowing just one run in just over 10 innings in the World Series as the Yankees swept the Phillies, with Reynolds earning the win in Game 2 and the save in the deciding Game 4.

In 1951, he threw 2 no-hitters, the first one coming against Bob Feller and his former team, the Indians, and his second came against Boston, with Ted Williams popping up for the final out in a game which clinched the Yankees at least a tie for the pennant. He was only the second player to record 2 no-hitters in a season, and only 4 have done it since.

In 1952 he had his best regular season, leading the league with a 2.06 ERA and 160 strikeouts, and he was even better in the World Series, recording 2 wins and a save while giving up only 4 runs in 20 innings, again proving his status as the ace of the best team in baseball.

During the 1953 season, the Yankees team bus crashed into an overpass in Philadelphia, and Reynolds injured his back in the accident, and his production dropped off considerably as a result, leading to his early retirement after the 1954 season.

Though he only pitched 13 seasons, Reynolds was the best pitcher for the best team in baseball for 8 years, winning 6 World Series in the process, and completely tearing apart the competition in 2 of them. He was often called upon to finish important games in relief, even though he was the top starter, and that is why he has earned a spot on this list of the all-time greats.