Former Phillies, White Sox star Dick Allen dies at 78

Dick Allen, who starred in Major League Baseball for 15 seasons, died Monday after a long illness at his home in Wampum, Pennsylvania, his family announced. He was 78.

Allen, who played third base, first base, and left field, spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1964. His best year, though, was with the Chicago White Sox in 1972, when he led the American League in home runs, RBIs, walks, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. All those numbers resulted in the AL MVP award, and The Chicago Tribune notes that he helped rejuvenate the franchise, which was struggling to attract fans to Comiskey Park before his arrival. Per the Tribune, many people have credited him with saving the club from relocation, and it seems the affection between player and team was mutual — Allen told the Tribune last month that his 3-year stint in Chicago was his favorite time in his "baseball life," which also included stops in St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

For his career, Allen slashed .292/.378/.534 and hit 351 home runs and made seven All Star teams. He was not elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America when he was eligible and subsequently fell off the ballot, but it appeared likely he would have been voted in this year, had the Golden Era committee vote not been delayed by COVID-19, a decision many feel is long overdue. Read more about Allen's Hall of Fame case at Deadspin. Tim O'Donnell

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