Former Phillies, White Sox star Allen dies

Former Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox star Dick Allen died after a long illness at the age of 78, his family announced Monday.

"With sadness in our hearts, we need to share that Dick passed away this afternoon at his home in Wampum (Pennsylvania)," his family wrote on his official Twitter account.

Allen won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award with the White Sox following the 1972 season, during which he batted .308 with 37 homers, 113 RBIs and 99 walks.

Allen was a seven-time All-Star and 1964 National League Rookie of the Year with the Phillies. He recorded 351 homers and 1,119 RBIs in 15 seasons with the Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), White Sox (1972-74) and Oakland Athletics (1977).

Allen wore a batting helmet in the field after fans in Philadelphia harassed him with racial epithets and even threw things at him on the field.

The Phillies showed their love by retiring Allen's No. 15 on Sept. 3, marking the 57th anniversary of his debut with the club.

During his time with Philadelphia, Allen batted .290 with 204 doubles, 204 home runs, 655 RBIs, a .371 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage (.902 OPS) in 1,070 games.