Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 199

shutout of Cleveland that season. Bob Feller also threw a strong game and didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Mickey Mantle doubled. Feller threw a complete game and allowed only four hits. Feller had thrown a no hitter eleven days earlier.

His second no-hitter, on September 28, 1951, was an 8–0 defeat of the Boston Red Sox which allowed the Yankees to clinch at least a tie of the American League pennant. The Yankees clinched the pennant in the second half of the September 28 double header. Reynolds struck out nine hitters. He walked four, but not one Boston batter seemed close to getting a hit. With two outs in

the ninth inning, Ted Williams hit a foul pop fly to Yankees catcher Yogi Berra. Berra dropped the ball and prolonged the at bat against the dangerous Williams. Reynolds remained calm, telling Berra; "Don't worry Yogi, we'll get him again." Reynolds was correct and Williams once again popped up, but Berra caught

this one. In the spring of 1953, Stengel made Reynolds predominantly a reliever, although he notched 15 starts and 5 complete games, because of Reynolds' ability to pitch without much rest and to use his blazing fastball late in the Yankees' afternoon games when the shadows crept over the mound. However, Reynolds injured his back in July when the team bus was on the way to the train station after a game in Philadelphia, robbing Reynolds of his control. During the '53 World Series, his final