Former Spokane Indians standout, MLB player, coach Tommie Reynolds dies at 83

Tommie Reynolds, a popular standout for one of the best-hitting teams in Spokane Indians history, died March 19 after an action-packed three decades as a professional baseball player, coach and manager. He was 83.

In the second of his three years as player-coach for the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, Reynolds batted .303 for the 1977 Indians. He led the Pacific Coast League with 45 doubles, added 20 home runs and drove in 107 runs. The team batted .304.

Teammate Gorman Thomas belted 36 home runs, second best in Spokane’s 105 pro seasons. Former Gonzaga University star Lenn Sakata hit .304. Infielder Jim Gantner, like Sakata, a defensive whiz, batted .281 and scored 98 wins. All four men spent several years in the major leagues.

Reynolds played parts of the eight seasons in the big leagues, including stints with Kansas City, the New York Mets, Oakland, California and Milwaukee. Although the outfielder-first baseman primarily played as a reserve, he spent 13 seasons in the minors, mostly in Triple-A. He came to Spokane after seasons of .312 and .304 when Milwaukee’s PCL franchise was located in Sacramento.

For his minor-league career, Reynolds batted .302 with 1,353 hits and 187 home runs. In the majors, he hit .227 in 513 games.

After ending his playing career at Spokane, Reynolds managed three minor-league seasons in the Oakland organization then served seven years as bench coach for Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa at Oakland and St. Louis. The A’s won the pennant in 1989.

On Sept. 3, 1976, Reynolds had joined the slim ranks of Black managers, directing the Indians for the season’s last five games. He took over following the dramatic end to the previous night’s doubleheader at Tacoma, where the host Twins scored twice in the last inning for a 5-4 win and a sweep.

When Rick Renick crashed into Spokane catcher Rob Ellis with the winning run, umpire Eric Gregg called him safe. Ellis and two teammates protested vigorously. Minutes later, manager Frank Howard, the super-sized former slugger and former Indians star, broke down the umpire’s dressing room. He was suspended for the balance of the season.

Reynolds lived most of his adult life in San Diego. He and his wife, Penni, had been married 62 years. They had been partners in real estate and owned a low-income senior-citizen apartment complex. He is survived by their two children, his four siblings and their numerous grand- and great grandchildren.