MLB Postseason: Top Ten Performers in Postseason History
These are players you, your parents or even your grandparents have grown up watching. Their talent and performances in the MLB postseason captivated the hearts of fans through all time.
Throughout the history of baseball, there have been ballplayers who fuel the excitement of the postseason. Since 1903 when the Boston Americans bested the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series, fans are drawn into the thrill of the American Pastime.
They say that legends are born in the postseason and it is there that they become immortalized in baseball. Whether they are future Hall of Famers bound for Cooperstown or everyday contributors, these ballplayers set the bar for postseason glory. Their consistent threat at the plate or dominance on the mound are heightened during the playoffs.
Here is a list of the top ten performers in MLB postseason history. Although this list is subjective and in no particular order, their postseason performances deserve to be among the best in history.
Reggie Jackson – “Mr. October”
A good place to start is with “Mr. October” himself.
After 21 seasons in the major leagues, Reggie Jackson held a .262 batting average with 563 home runs. He spent the majority of his career with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, where he appeared in 66 postseason games.
Including five World Series appearances, Jackson batted .278 with 18 home runs, 48 RBI and 41 runs in eleven postseasons. He was also named the AL MVP in 1973 and World Series MVP in 1973 and 1977.
Only a year into his five season stint with the Yankees, Jackson and the Yankees faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. With already two home runs in Games 4 and 5, Jackson homered the Yankees to the World Series championship in Game 6.
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Jackson came to the plate and put the Yankees on top with a two-run home run. He then went on to become the first of three batters in baseball history to hit three home runs in one World Series game. In the bottom of the fifth, he hit another two-run homer and hit a solo four-bagger in the bottom of the eighth. It was after that game, when the Yankees became World Series champions, that the nickname “Mr. October” was born.
David Ortiz – “Big Papi”
This year David Ortiz got his final chance to face postseason pitching and add to his impressive playoff success. After 20 years in the major leagues, six with the Minnesota Twins and 14 with the Boston Red Sox, Ortiz is retiring at the end the 2016 season.
During his career, he held a .286 batting average and finished with 541 home runs. He is a three-time world champion, 2013 World Series MVP and 10-time All-Star. While he batted .290 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI in 18 postseason series, his most impressive postseason performance came in 2004.
Every Boston fan remembers the 85-year curse set on them when they traded away Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919. Every Bostonian also remembers how Ortiz and the 2004 Red Sox dramatically battled a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS to eventually become World Series champions.
During that ALCS against the Yankees, Ortiz batted .387 with three home runs, including a walk-off homer and walk-off single. His success against the Yankees earned him the ALCS MVP honors and he went on to bat .308 with one home run in the World Series.
That year started, what became, a very impressive World Series resume for Ortiz. In three World Series appearances, Ortiz earned a .455 batting average with three home runs, 14 RBI and 14 runs.
Derek Jeter – “Mr. November”
The city of New York brags of countless baseball legends. Years after the glory days of the Great Bambino and Lou Gehrig, Derek Jeter emerged as the face of the New York Yankees from 1995-2014.
Jeter was a rare breed of ballplayer who stuck with one team for his entire career. Through 20 seasons in the pinstripes, Jeter held a .310 batting average, received the AL Rookie of the Year award and was a 14-time All-Star. Aside from his regular season success, Yankees fans truly appreciated his postseason prowess.
In all but four seasons of his career, the Yankees reached the playoffs and Jeter became a five-time World Champion. In October, Jeter batted .308 with 20 playoff home runs, 111 runs and 61 RBI. His .409 batting average, six runs and two homers earned him the 2000 World Series MVP honors.
Arguably his most interesting achievement came in the 2001 World Series. Although the Yankees went on to lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Game 4 was tossed into extra innings and set the stage of Jeter’s feat. As Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 top of the tenth, the clock at Yankee Stadium crept towards midnight. With two outs in the bottom of the tenth, Jeter came to the plate right when the clock struck midnight.
It was officially the first baseball game ever to be played in November.
Then, nine pitches later, Jeter sent the walk-off home run out of the park. It was the first home run to be hit in the month of November and tagged him with the nickname “Mr. November”.
Rickey Henderson – “Man of Steal”
Rickey Henderson began his career in 1979 with the Oakland Athletics, where he played a majority of his career. Although he would make his way back to Oakland a handful of times, he spent his 25 seasons bouncing around a number of different clubs. Henderson’s speed, both on the base paths and the outfield, was his largest asset.
After a 25-season career, Henderson holds the all-time record for stolen bases with 1,406. He also came eight short of the all-time single season record when he stole 130 bases in 1982. Through the regular season, Henderson was only caught stealing 335 times and maintained a .279 career batting average.
Henderson took advantage of every opportunity he was given in 14 postseason series. He stole 33 bases and was caught only six times. On top of that, Henderson batted .284, including a .339 batting average through three World Series appearances. Henderson stole seven bases in nine attempts and won the World Series in 1989 with the Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.
Babe Ruth – “The Great Bambino”
Out of all the greats of the postseason, Babe Ruth stands out for both his dominance at the plate and on the mound. Ruth owned a .342 batting average, .690 slugging percentage and was named the AL MVP in 1923 during the regular season.
Needless to say, Ruth saw plenty of postseason action during his career. Out of his 10 World Series appearances, Ruth came out with the championship in all, but three. During the postseason, the Babe smacked 15 home runs, scored 37 runs and drove in 33 with a .326 playoff batting average.
His greatest postseason moment came against the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series. In retaliation to the taunts and heckling at Wrigley Field, it is said that Ruth either pointed at pitcher Charlie Root or at the right field bleachers, indicating where he was planning on hitting a home run. Regardless, Ruth hit a home run right where he pointed as the Yankees went on to sweep the Cubs.
We remember Ruth best for his 714 home runs and his seven World Series championships. However, not many remember that the Babe debuted as a pitcher.
Ruth took control when he was on the mound while he was a member of the Red Sox. In fact, in 1916 Ruth went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA and a career-high nine shutouts. Furthermore, Ruth pitched his way to a 3-0 record and 0.87 ERA during the postseason in 1916 and 1918.
Whether he was on the mound, at the plate, in the regular season or the playoffs, Ruth proved himself to be one of the most talented ballplayers to ever wear a uniform.
Madison Bumgarner – “Mad Bum”
It is safe to say, given his postseason experience, that Madison Bumgarner is on track to become one of the greatest pitchers in postseason history. The three-time World Series champion grew into the ace of the San Francisco Giants’ starting rotation. He owns a historic and incredibly impressive postseason resume, especially in the World Series.
Bumgarner’s road to postseason fame began in the 2010 World Series. In his Game 4 start, Bumgarner shutout the Texas Rangers through eight innings and allowed only three hits.
Two years later, Bumgarner and the Giants found themselves back in the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Once again, Bumgarner rose to the challenge and pitched a seven-inning, two-hit shutout in Game 2.
However, his best was yet to come as the Giants reached the 2014 World Series. He earned the Giants a ticket to the postseason with a four-hit, complete game shutout in the Wild Card Game. After earning the NLCS MVP honors, Bumgarner went on to receive the World Series MVP award.
Through two starts against the Kansas City Royals, he went 2-0 and allowed only nine hits and one run through 21 innings pitched. Furthermore, Bumgarner pitched a five-inning save on the brink of elimination in Game 7.
Overall, Bumgarner is 4-0 through four starts and is one of five undefeated pitchers in the World Series. In 2014, he pitched the most innings in a single postseason and started the most playoff games in history. His 0.25 World Series ERA is the all-time lowest and, through 36 innings pitched, has only one run is tacked to his name. He also pitched 23 innings in three elimination games, including two Wild Card decisions.
Sandy Koufax – “The Left Arm of God”
Needless to say, Los Angeles Dodgers fans and baseball experts view Sandy Koufax as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Although his career started off slow in Brooklyn, Koufax grew into the ace of the Dodgers’ rotation as the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
After 12 years in the major leagues, Koufax went 165-87 with a 2.76 career ERA. During the regular season, Koufax threw four no-hitters and one perfect game. He won three Cy Young Awards and received NL MVP honors in 1963.
Not only did Koufax pitch in the Dodgers’ first three World Series championships since moving to Los Angeles, he played a major role in each. Although he struggled in the 1959 Series, he went on to earn World Series MVP honors in 1963 and 1965. Through seven World Series career starts, Koufax is 4-3 with a 0.95 ERA. Although he was tagged with three loses, he gave up no more than two runs per postseason start.
In the 1963 World Series, Koufax pitched a pair of complete games against the New York Yankees. He only allowed three runs and struck out 23 through 18 innings as he earned a 2-0 record.
Koufax only improved in the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Despite falling victim to three errors and receiving the loss in Game 2, Koufax won Games 5 and 7. In both games, Koufax pitched complete game shutouts with only seven hits and 20 combined strikeouts.
Mariano Rivera – “The Sandman”
Nothing struck fear into batters more than hearing “Enter Sandman” by Metallica in the ninth inning. When that song came on at Yankee Stadium, it meant only one thing:
Mariano Rivera was entering the game.
Even one-run games seemed insurmountable when Rivera came in to close the ninth inning. The 13-time All Start closer holds the MLB record with 652 saves with only 80 blown saves. Through his 19-season career, Rivera pitched nine 40-plus save seasons, including two 50-plus save seasons. In 2008, Rivera earned 39 saves and only blew one save. Eleven sub-1.00 ERA seasons put Rivera’s career ERA at 2.21.
Even the heightened pressure of the postseason could not affect Rivera’s menacing presence on the mound. Through 32 postseason series, Mariano owns the all-time record with 42 saves and has only one loss tacked to his 8-1 record. Out of seven World Series appearances, he holds a 0.99 ERA, threw 11 saves and came out with five championships.
He was awarded the 1999 World Series MVP after notching two saves in three games and not allowing a single run through 4.2 innings pitched. Also, Rivera received the MVP award for his dominance in the 2003 ALCS. He held the Boston Red Sox to one run and five hits through eight innings pitched and two saves.
Bob Gibson – “Hoot”
Gibson pitched 17 incredible seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959-1975. Within his 2.91 career ERA and 251-174 overall record lies, arguably, the most impressive regular season in baseball history. Gibson went 22-9 with a microscopic 1.12 ERA, the fourth lowest in major league history. On top of that, he threw a career-high 13 shutouts, 28 complete games and struck out 268 batters. He is a two-time Cy Young award winner and won the NL MVP in 1968.
While much of Bob Gibson’s success came during the regular season, he took advantage of the three World Series he competed in. In the postseason, Gibson threw eight compete games out of nine starts, with 92 strikeouts through 81 innings pitched, and he won the World Series MVP award in 1964 and 1967.
All the regular season and playoff stats aside, Gibson threw one of the most dominant outings the postseason has seen during the 1968 World Series. Although the Cardinals lost to the Detroit Tigers, Gibson was untouchable in Game 1. Not only did he pitch a complete game, five-hit shutout, he struck out a major league high 17 batters. Gibson threw another gem in Game 5, including hitting a home run, but lost Game 7 after allowing four runs. Regardless, Gibson finished his career as one of the greatest pitchers to take the mound in the postseason.
Vic Raschi – “The Springfield Rifle”
We have all heard of Charlie Keller, Spud Chalder and Joe DiMaggio as being members of the incredibly successful New York Yankees during the 1940s and 1950s.
But who was Vic Raschi?
Easily the most overshadowed player on the team, Raschi was silently successful during his eight seasons with the Yankees. Raschi went 120-50 with a 3.47 ERA in the pinstripes. He was a four-time All-Star and bragged three 20-plus win seasons from 1949-1951.
Between 1940-1960, the Yankees went on a historic streak, in which they won 10 World Series titles in 14 appearances over 20 years. On top of that, they won five in a row from 1949-1955 and Raschi was there for each.
Although he struggled in the 1947 World Series, Raschi found himself facing the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1949 Fall Classic. At the time, the Dodgers were the Yankees’ top rival and the two teams met three times during the five-year streak. Ballplayers such as Pee Wee Reese, Dixie Walker and Jackie Robinson fueled the Dodgers to eight postseason appearances during the 1940s and 1950s.
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During the 1949 World Series, Raschi went 1-1 in two starts against the Dodgers and would face them again in 1952 and 1953. Raschi was especially successful in the 1952 Series when he pitched to a 1.59 ERA that earned him a 2-0 record in the postseason. Overall, Raschi was 5-3 in the postseason with a 2.24 ERA and 43 strikeouts.