Yankees History

When it came to pitching, the 1947 Yankees ruled the roost.  They led the American League in ERA (3.39), hits allowed (1,221) and strikeouts (691).  They did give up their share of walks (628) but they got the job done.  And oddly, for a team that won 97 games (remember, they only played 154 back then), only one Yankee finished with more then 14 wins.  That pitcher was the ace of the staff, Allie Reynolds.

Reynolds made his debut in 1942 but he logged only five innings.  His first full season was 1943, in which he finished with a losing record.  He played in his first All Star Game in 1945 and he finished that season with a career high 18 wins but he regressed in 1946 when he finished with an ERA+ of only 85.

Then in 1947, he put it all together.  His 19 wins were good for second in the American League and his 129 strikeouts put him at fourth in the American League.  Like the rest of the team, he gave up his share of walks (123) but he had four shutouts which was good for second in the league.

And in a lot of ways, 1947 was when Reynolds grew up because he’d be very good very good going forward and he’d post winning records through out the rest of his career.  This is a guy who threw some serious heat and Sporting News described him in 1954 as one of the hardest throwers in all of baseball (hat tip to the Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers) and a guy who had he thrown a little better earlier in his career, would probably be sitting in the Hall of Fame.

Here’s a look at Allie Reynolds numbers in 1947:

Wins 19
Losses 8
Games 34
Games Started 30
Complete Games 17
Innings Pitched 242
Hits 207
Runs 94
Earned Runs 86
Walks 123
Strikeouts 129
ERA 3.20
Runs Saved Above Average 7
Shutouts 4
H/9 7.70
BR/9 12.42
SO/9 4.80
BB/9 4.57
SO/BB 1.05
Neutral Wins 14
Neutral Losses 13