Thomas David Henrich (February 20, 1913 – December 1, 2009), nicknamed "the Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was an American professional baseball player of German descent.
Facing the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, he singled and scored in a two-run eighth inning in Game 3, and New York hung on to win 2-1.
But one of the most famous moments in postseason history occurred when he came to the plate with two out in the ninth inning of Game 4; Brooklyn had a 4-3 lead, one out away from tying the Series.
With Dickey and Gordon gone, he began to bear a greater share of the responsibility for the team's offense in 1947, and came through quite effectively as he formed one of the game's great outfields with Keller in left field and DiMaggio in center.
He came to the plate with the score tied 2-2, the bases loaded and two out in the fourth inning of Game 7, and drove in Phil Rizzuto with the deciding run in a 5-2 win.
He was again sixth in the MVP balloting in 1949 after placing third in the AL in home runs (24) and slugging (.526), often getting crucial hits late in the season as the Yankees captured another flag under new manager Casey Stengel.
The new skipper succeeded in getting Henrich to avoid outside curveballs by threatening to send him back to the minor leagues, and he picked up two RBI in a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on the season's last day, giving New York the pennant by a single game.
He was dubbed "Old Reliable" – after a train which ran from Ohio to Alabama – by Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen for his knack of getting a hit just when it was needed.
He later became a coach with the Yankees (1951), New York Giants (1957) and Detroit Tigers (1958–1959), and worked as a color commentator for ABC television's baseball coverage in 1965.
At his death Henrich was the fifth oldest living MLB player and was the last surviving member of the 1938 and 1941 World Champion New York Yankees.