Releasing Dick Allen

Dick Allen in 1969 with the Phillies

One of the most feared hitters of his generation finds himself out of the game 47 years ago today as first baseman Dick Allen is cut by the Oakland Athletics – his fifth organization in nine seasons after the Philadelphia Phillies trade him to St. Louis in the fall of 1969.

In 15 seasons in the majors, in an era when pitchers dominate the game, the future Hall of Famer posts a .292 batting average with 351 homers, 1,119 runs batted in and seven All-Star selections.

Dick Allen with Oakland in 1977

Allen wins the National League’s rookie of the year award in 1964 with the Phillies and comes back eight years later to win the 1972 American League MVP award while playing with the Chicago White Sox.

Allen also plays the game on his own iconoclastic terms, which explains his on-again, off-again relationships with managers, owners, media and fans.

Ironically, the one-time rebel on the field later becomes one of the Phillies’ goodwill ambassadors off the field, a position he holds until his death in 2020 at the age of 78.

“I once loved this game,” Allen says late in his playing career, “but after being traded four times, I realized that it’s nothing but a business.

“I treat my horses better than the owners treat us. It’s a shame they’ve destroyed my love for the game.”

The game finally returns some of that love exactly four years and a day after Allen’s death as the Hall of Fame’s Classic Era Committee on Dec. 8, 2024 announces Allen’s long overdue election to its Class of 2025.