Phillies to retire No. 15 in honor of former slugger Dick Allen
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 7: Former Philadelphia Phillies infielder Dick Allen takes part in the Alumni Night celebration before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 7, 2010 in Philadelphia, Penns
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Phillies will retire No. 15 in honor of former infielder Dick Allen, the team announced Thursday.
Allen, 78, played 15 seasons in the majors between 1963 and 1977. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Phillies after the team signed him in the throes of the Civil Rights Movement. He later returned to Philadelphia in '75 and '76.
In his first full season with the Phillies, Allen, then 22, won the Rookie of the Year award after playing all 162 games and leading the league in Runs (125), Triples (13), and Total Bases (352).
Allen holds the third-highest slugging percentage (.530) in Phillies franchise history and has the 10th most home runs (204) of any Phillies player to date.
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A seven-time All-Star (1965-67; 1970; 1972-74), Allen also played for the Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and Athletics. In 1970, Allen won the league MVP as a White Sox after he lead the league in home runs (37), RBI(113), OPS(1.023) and OPS+(199).
Allen's Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy has been long debated among writers and historians responsible for electing members. In his latest push for the Cooperstown in 2014, Allen was passed over by the Golden Era Committee by just one vote. The committee will vote again this year for 2021 inductees. Allen will be the only Phillies player to have his number retired without a National Hall of Fame distinction.
He will join Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn (1), Jim Bunning (14), Mike Schmidt (20), Steve Carlton (32), Roy Halladay (34) and Robin Roberts (36) as the only Phillies in team history to have their numbers retired.
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