Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Allen falls 1 vote short of Hall
The former Phillies slugger will be eligible for election again in 2026
Dick Allen seemed destined to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame when the Golden Days Era committee voted on its 10 candidates Sunday.
Instead, for the second straight election Allen, the former Philadelphia Phillies slugger, fell one vote short of induction, just as he did the last time the committee met in 2014.
Allen, who died last Dec. 7 at the age of 78, next will be eligible for election in 2026.
“We were sad to hear that Dick Allen came up short of the votes needed at the Golden Era election today,” said Mike Schmidt, the former Phillies third baseman and Hall of Famer who was on the 16-member panel that voted, in a statement. “Every effort was made to present a positive case for Dick, who also missed by one vote in 2014. Congratulations to those elected, especially former Phillie Jim Kaat.”
Six players did earn spots in the Hall Sunday.
Buck O’Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field, joined Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva, Kaat and Bud Fowler in being elected.
Hodges, Oliva, Kaat and Minoso were voted in by the Golden Days Era committee.
Oliva and Kaat, both 83 years old, are the only living new members.
The six newcomers will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 24, 2022, along with any new members elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. First-time candidates David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez join Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling on the ballot, with voting results on Jan. 25.
Allen emerged on the scene in 1964 with the Phillies with a
phenomenal season and became the team’s first Black superstar, and was forced to deal with all that that entailed.
It was a rocky journey at times, but his baseball talent was always undeniable.
In his career, which spanned 1963-77 and included two stints with the Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), Allen was one of the most feared players in baseball and known for his long home runs. He finished his career with a .292 average, 351 homers, 1,119 RBIs and a .912 OPS. He was the American League MVP with the White Sox in 1972.
For the Phillies, he was
the NL Rookie of the Year in that cursed year of 1964 and a three-time All-Star. He hit .290 with 204 homers, 10th in club history, 655 RBIs and a .902 OPS in 1,070 games.
His .530 slugging average ranks second to Klein’s in team history.
In the period from 1964-74, Allen, with 319 homers, ranked fifth in the majors behind Hall
of Famers Hank Aaron (391), Harmon Killebrew (336), Willie Stargell (335) and Willie McCovey (327). His .940 OPS in that span was second only to Aaron (.941).
It wasn’t easy for Allen, who was often misunderstood and misinterpreted during his controversial and polarizing career, as Sunday’s vote once again showed.