The 5 Most Clutch Postseason Players in Every Baseball Era

The MLB postseason is a time for players to truly earn their money and come through when games matter the most, and while the term "clutch" is not easy to quantify regarding how a player performs in the postseason, it is often a good gauge of how a player performs when it matters most.

The following list takes a look at the five most clutch postseason performers of each baseball era, with six different eras being used to separate baseball through the years:

Dead-Ball Era (1900-1919)

Live-Ball Era (1920-1946)

Integration Era (1947-1960)

Expansion Era (1961-1979)

Free Agency Era (1980-1995)

Steroid Era (1995-Now)

There are no doubt far more than 30 players who have proven to be clutch in the postseason, but here are the five players from each baseball era that were the most clutch.

Dead-Ball Era No. 5: Babe Ruth

Postseason Stats: 3 Starts, 3-0, 0.87 ERA, 8 Ks, 31 IP

Postseason Appearances: Two

More on Babe Ruth the legendary offensive player later, but some forget just what a great pitcher Ruth was back in his days with the Red Sox.

He appeared in his first postseason in 1916 at the age of 21 as the Red Sox took on the Brooklyn Robins and took the ball in Game 2 of the series. The Robins struck for a run in the top of the first inning, and the Red Sox tied it up in the bottom of the second.

The teams would then exchange zeroes until the Red Sox won it in the bottom of the 14th inning. Both starting pitchers went the distance, but it was Ruth who got the victory.

Two years later, the Red Sox were in the World Series again, and Ruth started Game 1 and threw a six-hit shutout to start the series off on a positive note. He pitched again in Game 4 and gave up two runs in eight innings to earn his second win of the series, and the Red Sox took the series 4-2 over the Cubs.

Dead-Ball Era No. 4: Orval Overall

Postseason Stats: 8 Games, 5 Starts, 3-1, 1.58 ERA, 35 Ks, 51.1 IP

Postseason Appearances: Four

While Mordecai Brown was the ace of the Chicago Cubs staff during their 1907 and 1908 World Series winning seasons, it was Orval Overall that stepped his game up when it counted most.

After pitching 12 innings of relief in the 1906 World Series and allowing just two runs, Overall joined the rotation the following season, and after pitching nine innings in Game 1 that ended in a tie, he got the victory in Game 4, giving up just one run.

The next season he was even better, pitching a pair of complete games and closing the series out with a three-hit shutout in Game 5.

Dead-Ball Era No. 3: Home Run Baker

Postseason Stats: .378 BA, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 15 R

Postseason Appearances: Four

Needless to say, the home run was not an integral part of baseball back in 1911, as it was a pitching-dominated league, and the man known as "Home Run" Baker led the league three years in a row from 1911-1913 with 11, 10 and 12 long balls, respectively.

It was in the 1911 World Series that he earned his nickname, however, as he showed just what a dangerous weapon the home run ball can be. After hitting a two-run home run in Game 2 that proved to be the difference, he sent Game 3 into extra innings with another long ball.

He was stellar in the 1913 World Series as well, hitting for a .450 BA, one HR and seven RBI in a five-game series victory over the New York Giants.

Dead-Ball Era No. 2: Babe Adams

Postseason Stats: 3 Starts, 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 11 Ks, 27 IP

Postseason Appearances: One

While Honus Wagner was the star of the early 1900s Pittsburgh Pirates, it was 27-year-old pitcher Babe Adams who, in his first season as a full-time member of the rotation, stole the show in the World Series in 1909.

Adams took the ball in Game 1, throwing a complete game and giving up just one run to give the team an early series lead. When he took the ball again in Game 5, it was with the series knotted up at 2-2, and he again pitched a complete game as the Pirates came out on top 8-4 to take the series lead.

After the Tigers took Game 6, the Pirates again turned to Adams on just two days' rest, and he responded with his best start of the series, as he shut out the Tigers on just six hits for his third win and third complete game of the series.

Dead-Ball Era No. 1: Christy Mathewson

Postseason Stats: 11 Starts, 5-5, 0.97 ERA, 48 Ks, 101.2 IP

Postseason Appearances: Four

One of the greatest pitchers ever to play the game, Christy Mathewson holds the record with four career shutouts in the World Series, and if that was not impressive enough, three of those four came in the 1905 World Series.

The Giants took the 1905 series from the Athletics in five games, and Mathewson pitched three of those five, giving up a total of 13 hits over 27 innings while striking out 18 and walking just one.

There have been many dominant postseason performances over the years, but no pitcher has ever singlehandedly won a World Series for his team the way Mathewson did for the Giants in 1905.

Live-Ball Era No. 5: Goose Goslin

Postseason Stats: .287 BA, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R

Postseason Appearances: Six

Goslin had a Hall of Fame career, hitting .316 BA, 248 HR, 1,609 RBI, and he took part in six different World Series through the course of his 18-year career.

His postseason numbers were equally impressive, as he began his playoff career with the World Series in which he hit three home runs in 1924 and 1925.

However, no hit he had was bigger than his walk-off single in Game 6 of the 1935 World Series, as he gave the Tigers a 4-2 series win over the Cubs and captured his second ring in what would be his last World Series.

Live Ball Era No. 4: Herb Pennock

Postseason Stats: 10 Games, 5 Starts, 5-0, 1.95 ERA, 24 Ks, 55.1 IP

Postseason Appearances: Five

Much of the success enjoyed by Yankees starters during the Live-Ball Era can be attributed to the fantastic offense they had backing them up, but for Pennock, he was an impact pitcher with or without offensive backing.

He appeared in three games, with two of them being starts in both the 1923 and 1926 World Series, and went 2-0 in each of them. He also won his only start in the 1927 Series, as he tallied four complete games in five starts over those three postseasons.

Live-Ball Era No. 3: Hank Greenberg

Postseason Stats: .318 BA, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 17 R

Postseason Appearances: Four

One of the dominant sluggers of the 1930s and 1940s, Greenberg missed three full seasons and most of a fourth during his prime while serving his country, or his Hall of Fame numbers would be that much better.

That said, he made the most of his time with the Tigers and helped the team to four AL pennants. While a broken wrist limited him to just two games and a .167 batting average in the 1935 World Series, he was dominant in his three other trips to the Fall Classic.

With seven, six and seven RBI in his three other World Series appearances, it is hard to believe that the Tigers went just 1-2 in those series, but it certainly wasn't from lack of production out of their star slugger.

Live-Ball Era No. 2: Babe Ruth

Postseason Stats: .326 BA, 15 HR, 33 RBI, 37 R

Postseason Appearances: Seven

It's not surprising that the man many consider to be the best baseball player of all time posted great numbers when it mattered most, and he certainly had his fair share of chances to play in the World Series.

He hit over .300 in six of his seven World Series with the Yankees, and his .625 average in the 1928 World Series is the second-highest single-series average ever by a player with more than 18 plate appearances.

However, his most memorable World Series moment came in 1932, when he hit his famed "called shot" against the Chicago Cubs, gesturing to the bleachers before hitting his second home run of the game.

Live-Ball Era No. 1: Lou Gehrig

Postseason Stats: .361 BA, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 30 R

Postseason Appearances: Seven

The "Iron Horse" was one of the most clutch hitters in the history of the game, and as impressive as his regular season stats were, he was just as good in the World Series.

Gehrig put together two of the best World Series performances of all time, hitting .545 BA, four HR, nine RBI in 1928 and .529 BA, three HR, eight RBI in 1932, and in all, he never hit lower than .286 in seven World Series trips.

So while it was Ruth who got the headlines more times than not, it was Gehrig who was the better World Series performer during the Yankees' fantastic run during the 1920s, although they were both phenomenal.

Integration Era No. 5: Bill Mazeroski

Postseason Stats: .323 BA, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R

Postseason Appearances: Four

Mazeroski is widely regarded as the best defensive second baseman ever to play the game, yet the crowning achievement of his career is without a doubt his game-ending and World Series-ending home run in 1960.

After hitting 11 home runs during the regular season, one of just six times he broke double digits during his 17-year career, Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth inning in what had been a back-and-forth game.

After scoring five runs in the eighth to take a 9-7 lead, the Pirates surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth to tie things up. Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth, hitting in the eighth spot in the lineup, and he crushed Ralph Terry's 1-0 offering over the left-field wall for the first World Series-winning home run in baseball history.

While it was his only appearance in the playoffs during the era, it does not get much more clutch than a Game 7 walk-off home run, so he has to have a place on this list.

Integration Era No. 4: Yogi Berra

Postseason Stats: .274 BA, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 41 R

Postseason Appearances: 14

With a whopping 75 World Series games appeared in, the most of all time, it is no surprise that Berra is near the leaders in most offensive categories for his postseason career.

While he had some rough Series along the way, he also had some terrific ones, including hitting over .400 in 1953 and 1955, as well as driving in 10 runs during the 1956 Series and eight in 1960.

Overall, Berra won 10 World Series rings, and he played a large role in the overwhelming success of the Yankees throughout the 1950s.

Integration Era No. 3: Johnny Podres

Postseason Stats: 6 Starts, 4-1, 2.11 ERA, 18 Ks, 38.1 IP

Postseason Appearances: Four

While Podres was unspectacular in his first postseason start in 1953, going 2.2 innings and allowing a run, and he was average at best again in the 1959 World Series, going 1-0 with a 4.82 ERA in two starts, he was phenomenal in the 1955 Series.

After falling behind in the series 2-0, Podres took the ball in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series against the rival New York Yankees and gave up three runs in a complete-game victory.

The Dodgers took the next two games of the series after that, but the Yankees won Game 6 to force a decisive seventh game, and Podres took the mound with the Dodgers' season hanging in the balance and pitched the game of his life, giving up eight hits in a complete-game shutout to clinch the series.

Integration Era No. 2: Duke Snider

Postseason Stats: .286 BA, 11 HR, 26 RBI, 21 R

Postseason Appearances: Six

Snider was at the center of the Dodgers teams that made five trips to the World Series over a span of seven years, and he goes down as one of the most feared power hitters in baseball history.

While he did suffer through a couple of poor showings in World Series play, he also had a pair of fantastic seven-game series in which he hit well over .300 with four home runs, and for the most part he always brought it when the stakes were highest.

In all, his 11 World Series home runs rank as the fourth highest total of all time, while his 26 RBI are good for seventh-best, as he continued to post impressive numbers when October rolled around.

Integration Era No. 1: Mickey Mantle

Postseason Stats: .257 BA, 18 HR, 40 RBI, 42 R

Postseason Appearances: 12

While the legendary playing career of Mickey Mantle bridged the gap between the Integration Era and the Expansion Era, he did the majority of his damage during the Integration Era, and in the four World Series he appeared in during the Expansion Era, he hit just .157 BA, four HR, nine RBI combined.

His best postseason came in 1960, when he hit .400 BA, three HR, 11 RBI, and as a whole, he was consistently productive in the postseason, which made him the all-time leader in HR, RBI and runs for his World Series career.

Expansion Era No. 5: Willie Stargell

Postseason Stats: .278 BA, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R

Postseason Appearances: Six

Willie Stargell was one of the premier home run hitters of the 1960s and 1970s, and he launched 475 home runs and drove in 1,540 runs throughout his 21-year career.

Despite all of those accolades, the highlight of his career was the 1979 season, when he took home the NL MVP at the age of 39 and went on to hit .455 BA, two HR, six RBI in the NLCS and then .400 BA, three HR, seven RBI in the World Series to take home MVP honors.

Expansion Era No. 4: Mickey Lolich

Postseason Stats: 5 Starts, 3-1, 1.57 ERA

Postseason Appearances: Two

Denny McLain was the story of the 1968 regular season, as he won 31 games and took home AL Cy Young and MVP honors in the process. However, when the playoffs rolled around, it was No. 2 starter and 17-game winner Mickey Lolich that stole the show.

After McLain took the loss in Game 1, Lolich allowed just one run in a complete-game win in Game 2 and then threw another complete game in a 5-3 win in Game 5 to keep the Tigers alive and pull the series to 3-2.

After McLain won Game 6, the Tigers turned to Lolich again in Game 7 on just two days' rest, and he threw his third complete game, giving up just one run and five hits in out-dueling Bob Gibson.

Expansion Era No. 3: Sandy Koufax

Postseason Stats: 8 Games, 7 Starts, 4-3, 0.95 ERA, 61 Ks, 57 IP

Postseason Appearances: Four

While his career was cut short at the age of 30, Sandy Koufax is considered by many to be the best starting pitcher in the history of the game, and his immense success carried over to the postseason.

He never had a bad start and threw four complete games and two shutouts in his seven starts, but his best postseason by far came in 1965.

After suffering the loss in Game 2 of the 1965 World Series, Sandy Koufax took the mound again for the Dodgers in Game 5 with the series knotted up at 2-2 and threw a four-hit shutout. He wasn't done though, and he turned around and took the ball on two days' rest in Game 7 and threw another shutout with just three hits allowed.

Expansion Era No. 2: Bob Gibson

Postseason Stats: 9 Starts, 7-2, 1.89 ERA, 92 Ks, 81 IP

Postseason Appearances: Three

Bob Gibson is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, and when he was at his peak, few have rivaled him in the history of the league, and in each of the three times his Cardinals made the World Series, he earned three starts.

Over his nine postseason starts, he threw eight complete games and a total of 81 innings while throwing two shutouts, posting a 0.889 WHIP and leading his team to a pair of titles, with his best series coming in 1967, when he went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA.

His best game, however, came in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, when he shut out the Tigers and struck out a record 17 hitters and allowed just five hits in perhaps the most dominant pitching performance in postseason history.

Expansion Era No. 1: Reggie Jackson

Postseason Stats: .278 BA, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 41 R

Postseason Appearances: 11

As a member of the Athletics and Yankees, Reggie Jackson appeared in 11 postseasons and racked up a total of 281 at-bats, and while he still struck out a ton just like in the regular season with 70 whiffs, he delivered when it mattered.

While he had a number of great postseasons, he took home a pair of World Series MVP awards—his first coming in 1973 when he hit .310 BA, one HR, six RBI and his second coming in the 1977 Series when he hit a whopping .450 BA, five HR, eight RBI.

His crowning moment came in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, when he homered in three consecutive at-bats to help the Yankees win the decisive game of the series and earn him the nickname "Mr. October."

Free Agency Era: No. 5: Joe Carter

Postseason Stats: .252 BA, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 15 R

Postseason Appearances: Three

Thanks to some terrific front-office moves, the Blue Jays enjoyed a three-year run from 1991 to 1993 when they won at least 90 games and took home the AL East crown. The best of those moves was when they picked up Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter from the Padres for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez.

Carter had 30 HR and 100 RBI in each of those three seasons, and he continued his impressive play in the postseason, as he showed why he was one of the best sluggers in baseball at the time.

His defining moment, however, came in the 1993 World Series when he hit a walk-off, series-winning home run in Game 6 to give the Blue Jays the title with just the second World Series-ending home run in baseball history.

Free Agency Era No. 4: Orel Hershiser

Postseason Stats: 22 Games, 18 Starts, 8-3, 2.59 ERA, 97 Ks, 132 IP

Postseason Appearances: Six

Orel Hershiser turned in one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory in 1988, and it continued over into the postseason, where he started off by making three starts and one relief appearance in the NLCS, going 1-0 with a save and a 1.09 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched.

He then went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his two World Series starts to earn World Series MVP honors after also taking home NLCS MVP honors.

He was equally effective in the 1995 postseason, when he went 4-1 in his five starts, including a 2-0, 1.29 ERA line in the ALCS that earned him MVP honors at the age of 36.

Free Agency Era: No. 3: Jack Morris

Postseason Stats: 13 Starts, 7-4, 3.80 ERA, 64 Ks, 92.1 IP

Postseason Appearances: Four

The argument for Jack Morris to be in the Hall of Fame has always been that he was one of the elite pitchers of the 1980s and that he was a big-game pitcher, and he proved the second part on more than one occasion in the postseason.

As the ace of the Tigers staff in 1984, Morris went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three postseason starts, throwing two complete games in his two World Series starts.

Then in 1991 the Twins signed him to a one-year deal to front their young rotation, and he again shined, as he went 2-0 in his two ALCS starts and then 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in three World Series starts, including a 10-inning shutout in Game 7 that is considered one of the greatest pitching performances of all time.

Free Agency Era No. 2: Dave Stewart

Postseason Stats: 22 Games, 18 Starts, 10-6, 2.77 ERA, 73 Ks, 133 IP

Postseason Appearances: Six

Dave Stewart enjoyed a four-year stretch from 1987 to 1990 in which he won at least 20 games each season and helped the Athletics to the World Series in three of the four seasons.

Always a big-game pitcher, Stewart won two games in a series four different times in his career and took home the 1989 World Series MVP, 1990 ALCS MVP and 1993 ALCS MVP.

His best postseason was 1989, though, as he went 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in two ALCS starts and was even better in the World Series, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA.

Free Agency Era No. 1: Kirk Gibson

Postseason Stats: .282 BA, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 13 R

Postseason Appearances: Three

On the surface the stat line that Kirk Gibson put up in his postseason career is solid, but certainly not worthy of the top spot for his era. However, he hit two of the most memorable home runs in postseason history.

In 1984, he hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 6 of the World Series to give the Tigers an 8-4 lead and ice the game and the series.

The granddaddy of them all, however, came in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, when he hit a dramatic walk-off, pinch-hit home run on two bad legs off all-world closer Dennis Eckersley to set the tone for the entire series.

Steroid Era No. 5: Carlos Beltran

Postseason Stats: .366 BA, 11 HR, 19 RBI, 31 R

Postseason Appearances: Two

In what almost certainly goes down as one of the best midseason acquisitions in baseball history, the Astros picked up Carlos Beltran in a three-team deal on June 24th, 2004 for their playoff push.

It worked, as they made the postseason, but no one could have expected just how good Beltran would be in October. While the Astros fell in seven games to the Cardinals in the NLCS, Beltran put together a line of .435 BA, eight HR, 14 RBI, 21 R in 12 postseason games and over just 46 at-bats.

Proving it was not a fluke, he turned in a .296 BA, three HR, four RBI line in the 2006 NLCS as a member of the Mets, and while he has played in just those two postseasons, his numbers rival those of a seasoned postseason veteran.

Steroid Era No. 4: Curt Schilling

Postseason Stats: 19 Starts, 11-2, 2.23 ERA, 120 Ks, 133.1 IP

Postseason Appearances: Five

Curt Schilling began his postseason career with the Phillies in 1993, but he really made a name for himself as a member of the Diamondbacks in 2001, when he went 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA and three complete games in six postseason starts and shared World Series MVP honors with Randy Johnson.

He was far from done though, as he would go 3-1 in four postseason starts during the 2004 postseason, with his most memorable outing coming in Game 6 of the ALCS when he pitched what is now known as the "Bloody Sock Game."

Even at the age of 40 in 2007, Schilling went 3-0 in four postseason starts to help the Red Sox to a title and earn his third World Series ring.

Steroid Era No. 3: Derek Jeter

Postseason Stats: .307 BA, 20 HR, 59 RBI, 107 R, 18 SB

Postseason Appearances: 15

Derek Jeter has had more postseason opportunities than anyone else in baseball history, as he has played in 152 playoff games and taken 623 at-bats.

In what amounts to a season of work, Jeter has accumulated a stat line that would put him in the running for MVP if it were in fact the regular season with 191 hits and game-changing numbers across the board.

His walk-off home run against the Diamondbacks in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series earned him the nickname "Mr. November," and his .409 average and two home runs in the 2000 World Series netted him MVP honors.

Steroid Era No. 2: David Ortiz

Postseason Stats: .283 BA, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 39 R

Postseason Appearances: Seven

While he has been impressive in the postseason throughout his career, David Ortiz makes this list based on his 2004 postseason alone.

The Red Sox met up with the Yankees in the ALCS following a three-game sweep of the Angels in which Ortiz closed out the series with a walk-off home run in Game 3.

However, the Yankees jumped out to a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 series lead, setting up what may be the greatest comeback in sports history.

Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in Game 4 and then turned around the next game and hit a walk-off single, as he was the catalyst for the Red Sox's amazing series comeback. He captured ALCS MVP honors with a .387 BA, three HR, 11 RBI line. In total, Ortiz put together a line of .409 BA, five HR, 23 RBI in 14 postseason games that year.

Steroid Era No. 1: Mariano Rivera

Postseason Stats: 96 Games, 42 Saves, 8-1, 0.70 ERA, 110 Ks, 141 IP

Postseason Appearances: 16

There is no doubt that Mariano Rivera is the greatest reliever in baseball history, as he has racked up 603 career saves with over 30 saves in 14 different seasons and a career ERA of 2.21.

However, he has been even better in the postseason with an unbelievably minuscule 0.70 ERA and an amazing 42-of-43 converted save opportunities.

To put it simply, Rivera is as reliable and consistent as anyone in all of baseball, and he is even better when the postseason lights are shining.