Allen was a Kingston, NY man (born and died there) who learned the game of baseball in the lots of his hometown and eventually made it to the big leagues after years of playing on local and New York City amateur teams. He got in a single game with the New York Giants in 1883 and a single game with Boston in 1886. Cleveland signed him for 1887 and he had a fine season – 36 extra base hits and 77 RBI in 117 games while playing a decent left field. The next year he found himself with Kansas City and, now 34, he may have lost a step but he certainly lost his throwing arm. Still, he kept playing in lower level New York area leagues into his 40s, frequently near his hometown club.

After spending time pitching for the Rondout and Kingston nines, Allen was given a chance to pitch for the Giants in Cleveland on July 19, 1883, losing despite pitching well, 5 – 4. Only one of the runs was earned; eight hits and three walks were made off Allen’s pitching, but passed balls and a throwing error contributed to four the runs being unearned. Despite the New York Times saying Allen pitched “a good game” Myron would return to Kingston, New York to play on the local nines. The following season, a few members of the Kingston Leaders club found their way to Richmond, Virginia and eventually called Allen to join them when a position opened up. That position? Manager (and player). The Virginias faced major league squads (and reserve squads) from Providence and Philadelphia (Allen himself pitched and beat Philadelphia) before the season started. However, he may have injured his arm in that Philadelphia game. He appeared in just two league games for Richmond and then returned home to Kingston where he would help organize and manage the Kingston base ball club.

Allen’s life playing second base and pitching with Kingston came to a close in 1886 amongst his claims that the team wasn’t paying him money, and team directors claiming that Allen was convincing players to quit the team. Both were likely true; Allen was blacklisted by the club, which was now a member of the Hudson River League. Boston gave Allen a job in October – he got in a single game and went hitless in three at bats.

That’s when Cleveland gave Allen a shot.

At first, Allen was expected to be a utility player. Indeed, he found time at all three outfield spots, mostly in left field. However, he also played at third, at shorstop, and even appeared in two games as a pitcher where he earned a win in relief. The Cleveland outfield provided the bulk of the offense – Pete Hotaling and Allen led the team in homers, RBI, and were second and third in runs scored (behind Cub Stricker, a second baseman who batted in front of them and got on base at a decent clip but added 86 stolen bases.) By the end of the season, players took to calling Allen “Zeke.”

That wasn’t bad for a 33-year old rookie. Except, if you read that clip from the Cleveland Plain Dealer to the right, you might note that Allen claimed to be only 30. Equally important to the story, at the end of the 1887 season, the New York Metropolitans bolted the American Association and were replaced the following spring by the Kansas City Cowboys. To help fill their roster, Kansas City expected to be able to pick from some of the released players of other teams. Among players thought to be available was Myron Allen. Only Cleveland was hoping to sell Allen to Kansas City rather than just release him. Along the way, Allen got an offer to play for a team in Des Moines, Iowa that he couldn’t accept with his status in limbo and his rights still officially owned by Cleveland. That process lasted more than a couple of months; eventually Cleveland released Allen.

Kansas City signed Allen for the 1888 season and now he was “Uncle Zeke.” He played mostly in left field, but took the mound twice for the Cowboys, including the second game of a May 30 doubleheader against his old Cleveland club. In both games, Allen pitched well but lost both because his teammates only scored two runs in each start. After that second start, his arm again went lame. By July, he was released. With that, Allen returned to the lower level leagues that played near his home town.

Myron Smith Allen was the fifth of six children born March 22, 1854 to John Henry and Jane (Quick) Allen. John was a boatman who eventually shifted to owning a grocery. His kids would take jobs as clerks in his store – Myron working as early as 15 years old. By 21, Myron moved out and married Mary Townsend. They would have two children, Bertha and Myron. This marriage wouldn’t work out – by the 1900 US Census, each had remarried. Mary took the two kids; Myron married Ada (Rowe) Ostrom, adopted Ada’s first child, and had three other children together.

After his baseball career ended, Myron worked as a janitor, eventually being made the caretaker of the local post office, where he worked until his demise. In fact, he was so well respected that when he reached retirement age, he was allowed to continue working there. On a March Thursday Allen started feeling ill, a day later he was hospitalized. He died on March 8, 1824 just two weeks shy of his 70th birthday. His earthly remains lie in an unmarked grave in Rhinebeck Cemetery in Rhinebeck, New York.

1855, 1865, 1875 New York Census Data
1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 US Census Data
NY Marriage Records
Baseball-Reference.com

“Base Ball Notes,” Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, August 8, 1881: 3.
“Ulster County,” Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, August 4, 1882: 1.
“Cleveland Beats New York,” New York Times, July 20, 1883: 3.
“Base-Ball,” Richmond Dispatch, March 14, 1884: 1.
“Base Ball Notes,” Richmond Dispatch, April 2, 1884: 1.
“Base Ball,” Richmond Dispatch, April 11, 1884: 1.
“Ulster County,” Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, June 28, 1884: 1.
“A Well Known Player Blacklisted,” Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, October 2, 1886: 3.
“Base Ball Notes,” New York Sun, October 2 1886: 3.
“Base Ball,” Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, October 11, 1886: 3.
“Our Ball Players,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 27, 1887: 9.
“‘Zeke’ Allen Complains,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 25, 1888: 5.
“‘Zeke’ Allen Released,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 1888: 5.
“Base Ball,” Kansas City Journal, June 13, 1888: 2.
“American Assocation,” Kansas City Times, May 31, 1888: 5.
“Notes of the Game,” Kansas City Journal, July 11, 1888: 2.