Reynolds was primarily a hard-throwing starter, but Yankee manager Casey Stengel often used him from the bullpen as well. In six WS relief appearances, Reynolds recorded either a win or a save each outing, including the WS finales in 1950, 1952, and 1953. As a starter, Reynolds beat the Dodgers 1-0 on a two-hitter in the 1949 WS.
Reynolds came to the Yankees in an October 1946 trade that sent Joe Gordon to the Indians and led the AL in winning percentage in his first season in New York. He won 16 games in 1950 despite bone chips in his pitching elbow. In 1951 Reynolds became the first AL pitcher to hurl two no-hitters in one season, winning 1-0 against Cleveland on July 12 and then 8-0 against Boston on September 28. In the second game, Reynolds had to get Ted Williams for the final out twice because Yogi Berra dropped his easy foul pop.
Reynolds won the Hickock Belt in 1951 as the top professional athlete of the year, and in 1952 he was second in the AL MVP voting, recording 20 wins and six saves, and leading the AL in both ERA (2.06) and shutouts (6). Reynolds’s one-quarter Creek Indian ancestry gave rise to his nickname, Superchief.
