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Known for his time in New York, Allie Reynolds started his career in Cleveland. While with the Indians he pitched in 139 games, starting 100 and finishing 27. Early evidence of his versatility is demonstrated by his 41 complete games, 9 shutouts and 8 saves. Though the game wasn’t played because of World War II, Reynold made the All Star team in 1945

The 1946 trade straight up for eventual Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Gordon changed Reynolds life. In his first six years with the Yankees Reynolds won at least 16 games each season. Overall he was the pitcher of record in 131 wins for New York.

In Reynolds’ first season in New York in 1947, he won 19 games. The Yankees beat Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers in the World Series. He followed it up with a 16-win campaign in ’48. Starting in 1949, Reynolds and the Yankees reeled off five straight championship seasons. During that run Reynolds went 83-41.

His finest season came in 1952 when he went 20-8. Reynolds led the league in ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts to finish second in MVP balloting.

He finished his career in 1954 with an All Star season. For his career Reynolds went 182-107 with a 3.30 ERA.

 

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Allie Reynolds had an outstanding 13-year big league career that included six All Star campaigns and six World Series titles.

As as custom at the time, Reynolds was called “Chief” because of his Native American Creek ancestry. His nickname “Super Chief” is a combination of that with a tip of the cap to the Santa Fe Railroad.

In the late 1930s the Super Chief was the flagship of the railroad. Its route was between Hollywood and New York. In MGM’s 1947 movie “The Hucksters”, Clark Gable’s character says, “Only talent agents and kept woman ride the Chief. But the Super Chief is an exclusive club for New York – Hollywood commuters.” The train was elegant and known for its power and speed. It was only natural that the moniker would be applied to Reynolds.

During his time in New York, Reynolds and the Yankees were in the thick of the pennant race every year. He appeared in six World Series. In 15 appearances Reynolds went 7-2 with four saves and a 2.89 ERA. In 26 at bats in the Fall Classic Reynolds hit .308, 145 points over his regular season average. Quite simply, Reynolds was at his best when it mattered most.

In the collection are these two index cards signed by Reynolds. In the index card above Reynolds outlines his World Series accomplishments and signs his name above that. In the second index card Reynolds pens his name above his nickname “Super Chief”.

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After waiting the required 5 years since hanging up his spikes, Allie Reynolds appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot. The writers gave him as much as 33.6% of the vote in 1968. That year he finished ahead of future Cooperstown men Arky Vaughan, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, George Kell, Hal Newhouser, Bob Lemon, and Bobby Doerr.

The closest Reynolds got to a plaque was in 2009. That year he received 8 votes, just one shy of the required 75% from the Veterans Committee. He has since appeared in both 2011 and 2012 on the Golden Era Committee ballot.

With today’s advanced metrics it is unlikely Reynolds will ever receive baseball’s highest honor.

Shown here is a 1962 Fleer card autographed by the two-time AL strikeout leader. According to Baseball-Reference.com’s similarity scores, the two pitchers most similar to Reynolds are both in the Hall of Fame — Lefty Gomez and former Cleveland teammate Lemon.

Reynolds’ fate now rests solely in the hands of the Veterans Committee.