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Richard Anthony Allen
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield
Born: March 8, 1942, Wampum, PA
Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies before the 1960 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1963-1969; St. Louis Cardinals 1970; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971; Chicago White Sox 1972-1974; Philadelphia Phillies 1975-1976; Oakland Athletics 1977
Died: December 7, 2020, Wampum, PA (age 78)
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| 2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards |
Allen requested and received a trade following the 1969 season, and he played for two seasons with the Cardinals and Dodgers before landing with the White Sox in 1972 and experiencing another power surge. He hit .308 for the 1972 White Sox and led the league in home runs (37) and RBIs (113) en route to winning the league's MVP honors. Allen was coaxed out of retirement following the 1974 season and re-joined the Phillies in 1975. He saw his first and only postseason action with the club in 1976, teaming with Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski to form a formidable middle of the line-up.
Over 15 big league seasons, Allen hit .292 with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs, and he's widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the history of the game not yet in the Hall of Fame. On August 13, 2020, the Phillies announced they would be retiring Allen's #15, reversing a long-time policy of the club not to retire the number of any player not yet in the Hall of Fame.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #19
August 20, 2022 from Philadelphia, PA (Phillies Authentics at Citizens Bank Park)
In 2022, the Phillies made the welcome move of selling vintage baseball cards from its Phillies Authentics location behind Section 133. This storefront is a mandatory stop for Doug and me whenever we go to a Phillies game, as the merchandise offerings frequently change and Doug has started a collection of Gameday Scorecards. This is from my field report for the game from a Phillies Room post:
August 20, 2022 from Philadelphia, PA (Phillies Authentics at Citizens Bank Park)
In 2022, the Phillies made the welcome move of selling vintage baseball cards from its Phillies Authentics location behind Section 133. This storefront is a mandatory stop for Doug and me whenever we go to a Phillies game, as the merchandise offerings frequently change and Doug has started a collection of Gameday Scorecards. This is from my field report for the game from a Phillies Room post:
Doug and I joined roughly 40,000 other fans at this game, getting our new sustainable Phillies hats at the front gate and then heading immediately to Bull's BBQ for dinner. The biggest shocker of the night was seeing Ron Reed (#177) signed Wall of Fame baseballs for sale at the Phillies Authentics stand prior to the start of the game. We agreed to return to the stand during the game to secure a Reed ball for Doug's collection. Returning in the eighth inning, we were shocked to learn all Reed balls had been sold out, and I'm assuming he didn't sign many of them. Lesson learned, and we'll be sure to buy something when first seen from here on out.
Bummed at having missed out on the Reed baseball, we bought three other Wall of Fame baseballs, signed by Manny Trillo, Bobby Abreu and Pat Gillick, to be hidden away until Doug's December birthday. I took advantage of my 10% partial season ticket holder discount and added this Allen card to the signed baseball haul. I thought it was cool to add a card for our future 1969 Topps set build while attending an actual Phillies game.
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
In his final season with the Phillies before returning in 1975, Allen began the season as the team's opening day first baseman. He missed two flights to St. Louis in early May, where the Phillies were set to begin a series with the Cardinals. Increasingly unhappy to be playing for the Phillies, Allen informed the press he had requested a trade over the winter and, "They had their chance. I don't feel sorry for them." In late June, he skipped a scheduled double header with the Mets and was suspended indefinitely by manager Bob Skinner (#369). Fined $1,000 a day, Allen stayed away from the team for 26 days, finally returning on July 19th after brokering peace with owner Bob Carpenter and Carpenter agreeing to trade Allen following the season.
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
The photos used for Allen's 1968 and 1969 Topps cards are from the same Topps photo session. The back of the card highlights his star status with the Phillies and celebrates his 1964 National League Rookie of the Year win.
Accuracy Index: Allen scores a 5 for appearing in an accurate uniform and on his actual 1969 team.
Inserts: Allen is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set. He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.
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1969 Season
In his final season with the Phillies before returning in 1975, Allen began the season as the team's opening day first baseman. He missed two flights to St. Louis in early May, where the Phillies were set to begin a series with the Cardinals. Increasingly unhappy to be playing for the Phillies, Allen informed the press he had requested a trade over the winter and, "They had their chance. I don't feel sorry for them." In late June, he skipped a scheduled double header with the Mets and was suspended indefinitely by manager Bob Skinner (#369). Fined $1,000 a day, Allen stayed away from the team for 26 days, finally returning on July 19th after brokering peace with owner Bob Carpenter and Carpenter agreeing to trade Allen following the season.
Throughout July and August, Allen began writing words in the infield dirt with his spikes, including "BOO" and "OCT 2," the final day of the season. When he refused to go with the team to Reading for a scheduled exhibition game, Skinner resigned. Despite the turmoil, Allen had a decent season, batting .288 with 32 home runs and 89 RBIs in 118 games and winning the team's offensive Triple Crown. On October 7th, Allen was dealt to the Cardinals with Jerry Johnson (#253) and Cookie Rojas (#507) for Byron Browne, Curt Flood (#540), Joe Hoerner (#522) and Tim McCarver (#475). When Flood refused to report to the Phillies, the Cardinals sent Willie Montanez and Jim Browning to replace him in the deal.
Phillies Career
In his nine seasons with the Phillies, Allen hit .290 with 204 home runs and 655 RBIs. He currently ranks second in club history with a .530 slugging percentage (behind Chuck Klien's .553) and 10th on the team's all-time home run list. He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1994.
He also joined the team's front office in 1994 as a fan representative and the 2020 Phillies Media Guide listed his official title as Club Ambassador.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #243
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1964-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter #128
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 249 in the Beckett online database as of 1/1/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR
In his nine seasons with the Phillies, Allen hit .290 with 204 home runs and 655 RBIs. He currently ranks second in club history with a .530 slugging percentage (behind Chuck Klien's .553) and 10th on the team's all-time home run list. He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1994.
He also joined the team's front office in 1994 as a fan representative and the 2020 Phillies Media Guide listed his official title as Club Ambassador.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #243
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1964-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter #128
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 249 in the Beckett online database as of 1/1/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR
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