PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It was a long wait, but Phillies slugger Dick Allen has finally been enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
“There was no question about where his heart truly lived. Philadelphia was his favorite,” Willa Allen said of her late husband.
As a Phillie, Dick Allen won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year and led the NL in OPS in 1966 and ’67.
“But his statistics, impressive as they are, tell only part of the story,” said Willa Allen.
Dick Allen was one of the best hitters of his day. But as the first Black star of the Phillies — the NL’s last team to integrate — he faced a lot of discrimination and racism from all angles, including the press, his management and fans.
Through it all, though, Willa Allen said her husband remained deeply kind-hearted.
“The ground crew, the cooks in the kitchen, the clubhouse staff, the vendors, the custodians. Whenever we were invited to events at the ballpark, he had to greet every one of them, every time,” she said.
She said those who did stand by Dick Allen buoyed him through his career.
“You stood by him. You cheered for him. You saw him, even when the press didn’t. Even when the politics of the game were against him, you showed him he mattered. And he never forgot that,” she added.
Conflicts with the team led to Dick Allen spending five prime years in other cities, including Chicago, where he won an MVP. Philadelphia and Dick Allen enjoyed a heartwarming reunion in 1975 and ’76. Willa Allen said Philly remained his favorite city.
“He loved the city, he loved the energy, and most of all, yes, he loved the fans.”
The Phillies retired Dick Allen’s No. 15 in 2020, three months before he died at 78 years old. He was up for the Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2021 but did not receive enough votes.