(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Former White Sox star Dick Allen finally got the “call from the Hall.”
Allen, along with former Pirates and Reds outfielder Dave “The Cobra” Parker, were voted Sunday into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown by the Classic Era Committee. Allen needed to receive at least 12 votes from the committee. He got 13.
Allen, who died in 2020 at age 78, will be inducted posthumously next year, on July 27.
He starred on the South Side for three seasons (1972-1974), amassing a .307 batting average, slugging 85 home runs and driving in a total of 242 runs. Allen earned American League (AL) All-Star honors in each of his three seasons with the Sox. He primarily played first base for the Sox.
During that three-year stretch, there was arguably no better hitter in the AL. From ‘72-’74, Allen ranked first in the AL in slugging percentage, second in HRs, second in batting average and second in on-base percentage.
Allen’s crowning season came in 1972. He won the AL MVP and fell just short of the vaunted Triple Crown, leading the league in HRs (37) and RBIs (113) but finishing .010 points behind Rod Carew for the batting title. At the time, those 37 dingers set a franchise single-season record, topping Bill Melton's 33 in 1970 and 1971.
“Dick Allen's historic exploits during his seasons with the White Sox in 1972-74 enjoy a legendary, almost mythical status across this city and within the Sox organization even to this day,” said Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox chairman. “Dick was just that good and that dominant in the batter's box. His prodigious strength and jaw-dropping power are still talked about to this day.
“Dick's 1972 Most Valuable Player-winning season remains one of the best ever produced by any player in a White Sox uniform, particularly his league-leading 37 home runs in what at the time was a very pitcher friendly ballpark. So much credit goes to Dick, Roland Hemond and Chuck Tanner for making his time in Chicago such a success. We send our congratulations to Willa, Richard Jr. and the entire Allen family as many White Sox fans join with them in applauding the Hall of Fame recognition for Dick.”
Known as Richie Allen when he began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, he played a total of 15 seasons before retiring after the 1977 season.
He hit .292 with 351 homers and 1,119 RBIs from 1963-77 for the Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74) and Oakland Athletics (1977).
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok