Who's "Clutch"?
By Mike Whiteman
October 18, 2026
I've enjoyed the baseball playoffs even after the Yankees were eliminated by the Rays. Watching the Brewers topple the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series was a masterclass on how a well built and well run team can play with even the highest resourced squad. It again makes makes me wonder "what if" the Yankees could blend their financial might with smart planning and execution.
Former Yankee Jake Bauers took home the NLCS MVP award - he had a great series!. His case was strengthened by a "clutch" two-run double in Game Four which started the Brewers' comeback from a 4-0 deficit.
I'm real happy for Bauers, once a top prospect who has bounced around five organizations in his career. He strongly considered retirement out of frustration a couple years ago. His 2026 season (.266/.389/.484) was by far the best of his career.
He now has a career postseason slash of .289/.407/.533 in three series (16 games), all with Milwaukee.
So, is Jake Bauers a clutch player?
Is anyone really clutch?
As fans, we believe that our favorite players summon up extra skill and composure in big moments to perform heroically, and be part of baseball lore forever.
There is also a school of thought that says what we consider clutch playing is just lucky and while good players usually play well and poor players usually play badly, in a short sample like a playoff series anything can (and does) happen. This school of thought would say that Derek Jeter had lots of great postseason moments because he had ample opportunity, that his .308/.374/.465 post season slash lines up with his .310/.377/.440 regular season slash, and if you give any good player 158 games (Jeter's postseason experience), they inevitably have good outcomes.
A quick look at even some of the postseason career statistical leaders indicates that most players struggle to perform at the same level in the postseason as the regular season. This makes perfect sense, as the quality of the opponents is better in playoff game and just about every day is a must-win, with managers utilizing their best personnel any chance they get.
So, is "clutch" the ability to, like Derek Jeter, continue to play at their same regular season ability through the postseason?
It's interesting to be pondering this topic today, as on this day in 1977, Reggie Jackson became "Mr. October" when he hit three home runs on three pitches in Game Six of the World Series, basically putting the team on his shoulders and carrying them to their first World Series Championship in fifteen years.
I think it was one of the iconic performances in all of sport.
A deeper dive into Jacksons' career show these weren't his first World Series heroics, and wouldn't be his last. In fact, he dominated World Series play in the 1970s, batting .360, slugging .767 and hitting nine home runs and driving in 23 in 23 games spread out over four Fall Classics - first the A's and then the Yankees. Reggie took home MVP honors in 1973 and 1977, and a good case could be made that he should have taken home the hardware in 1978 as well.
Was Reggie Jackson clutch? His postseason heroics weren't just confined to the World Series. He batted over .400 in the 1975 and 1978 ALCS. His lifetime .278/.358/.527 postseason slash over 77 games was an improvement from his regular season .262/.356/.490. Does 77 games spread over a number of years tell us something about a player? I think it could.
There aren't many players in baseball history like Reggie. Hypothetically, if he can perform like this against the Dodgers in October, why not against Toronto in July. Did his focus wane in the regular season, or did he just have a superpower of postseason performance?
I'll continue to root for Bauers and the Brewers in the World Series, and watch his performance closely. I think it would be fun to see him take home a World Series MVP.
I yhink there are a few players who fold under pressure.
I look at clutch as not letting big moments effect your play and get the best of you. Jeter had a knack and the discipline to approach every at bat the same. Same amount of between pitch swings, same grip, same weight shift. And relied on his preparation, and was prepared to accept the results as long as he didn't deviate from his process. Reggie was an extremely talented hitter, who always believed he was better than the pitcher. He hunted mistakes and usually hit them hard. And he always remembered how a pitcher got him out. Sometimes it didnt work for him. As we saw when Bob Welch struck him out in game 2 in 1978. Reggie got hi…
perhaps we might find satisfaction in seeing Mr Bauers prosper after years of adversity because that is something that we've been taught to think of as admirable.
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"After all father," writes Andy, "it was lucky for me that I had to leave school. It was the beginning of my present prosperity."
from
ANDY GRANT'S PLUCK
```` Horatio Alger Jr.
Those Reggie homers cemented my Yankees fandom in 1977...