Sluggers Dave Parker and Dick Allen will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer after both were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday by the Classic Era Committee.
Needing a vote of at least 75 percent, Parker received 14 of 16 votes and Allen, who died in 2020 at the age of 78, got 13 votes.
Tommy John finished third with seven votes, while Steve Garvey, Luis Tiant, Ken Boyer, Vic Harris and John Donaldson all received less than five votes.
Parker and Allen will be inducted on July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Those ballots will be revealed on Jan. 21.
“I’m looking forward to being there,” Parker said of the induction ceremonies on the MLB Network. “I’ve been holding this speech in for 15 years.”
Parker, 73, starred in the 1970s for the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the 1978 National League MVP award and back-to-back NL batting titles in 1977-78. In 1979, when the Pirates won the World Series, the seven-time All-Star hit .310 with 25 home runs and 94 RBIs.
Over 19 seasons with the Pirates (1973-83), Cincinnati Reds (1984-87), Oakland Athletics (1988-89), Milwaukee Brewers (1990), California Angels (1991) and Toronto Blue Jays (1991), Parker hit .290 with 339 home runs and 1,493 RBIs in 2,466 games. The right fielder had a strong throwing arm and was a three-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.
“The 70s were tough,” Parker said. “You had to be a heck of a player to play in the 70s. I enjoyed that. I loved the competition. I just enjoyed playing.”
Parker, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, touched on his long wait for this night to arrive and something about the modern game he would like.
“It was a long time waiting. So it was exciting,” Parker said of the call coming in. “I wish I could play in today’s market with the salaries that they are giving away. I think that would be ideal.”
Parker earned $200,000 in his MVP season of 1978.
Allen was also a former MVP and a seven-time All-Star, winning the AL MVP award with the Chicago White Sox in 1972. He was also named the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 15 seasons with the Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), White Sox (1972-74) and Athletics (1977), Allen hit .292 with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs in 1,749 games.
“What a tremendous, well-deserved honor for my friend Dick who has always been a Hall of Famer to me,” said shortstop Larry Bowa, a Philadelphia teammate of Allen’s during the 1975-76 seasons. “He meant so much to the Phillies organization throughout the years. His experience and leadership were instrumental in the development of players like (Hall of Famer Mike) Schmidt, Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox and myself. He taught me how to play the game the right way. I am elated that he is finally going into the Hall of Fame.”
–Field Level Media
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