Phillies greats Dick Allen, Billy Wagner inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

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Two former Philadelphia Phillies, including seven-time All-Star first baseman Dick Allen, were enshrined Sunday in the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining a lengthy list of former Fightins in Cooperstown.

Late Phillies legend Dick Allen’s legacy forever honored in Cooperstown

Allen was posthumously inducted Sunday, honoring his 15-year career, during which he hit more than 350 home runs. He is one of slightly more than 100 MLB players to hit that mark.

A Pennsylvania native, Allen was signed by the Phillies in 1960 and spent time in the minors before making his Major League Baseball debut in 1963. He initially played third base with the team, and while he racked up 41 errors in 1964, Allen’s hitting catapulted him to a Rookie of the Year award and eventually among the greats in MLB history.

He finished his career with a .292 batting average, 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs (runs batted in) in 15 seasons with a .378 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage. Allen played for the Phillies from 1963 to 1969 and again from 1975 to 1976; he also had stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics.

Phillies legend and fellow Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt spoke about Allen’s legacy in a prerecorded video for Sunday’s induction ceremony. He said Allen had a tough time in Philly during his first run with the team.

“Philly was one of the last teams to have a Black player in the major leagues,” Schmidt said. “I can’t imagine how good Dick Allen would have been in those days if he had been accepted. I think he would have been a greater baseball player, greater athlete if it weren’t for that.”

The Phillies traded Allen in 1969, but brought him back in 1975 when he and Schmidt had the opportunity to play as teammates. Schmidt said when Allen went up to home plate in his first at bat back with the team in Philadelphia, he got a standing ovation.

“It’s almost like the Philly sports fans, baseball fans were saying, ‘We’re sorry. Welcome back,’” Schmidt said. “And finally, he got in, I believe he got a base hit. It was really a sight to see.”

Allen was elected to the Hall of Fame late last year after being voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 78.

Billy Wagner lands among other pitching greats in Cooperstown

Former Phillies pitcher Billy Wagner also received the prestigious sports honor Sunday, although he will be forever enshrined on his plaque wearing a Houston Astros cap.

Wagner was drafted by the Astros in 1993 before eventually becoming the team’s primary closer in 1996 and winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1999. Throughout his career, Wagner played 853 games across 16 seasons, including two in Philadelphia.

Wagner was traded to the Phillies in 2004 and saw limited opportunities in his first season due to injuries. However, he turned back the clock in 2005, picking up 38 saves with a 1.51 ERA (earned run average).

Wagner is one of only eight MLB pitchers to rack up more than 400 career saves, finishing with 422. He retired in 2010 with career averages of a 2.31 ERA and a 0.998 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). His career WHIP is the lowest among all retired relievers with at least 700 innings pitched. Wagner also played for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.

Other inductees into the 2025 class include former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Dave Parker, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who is also the first Japanese-born player to be enshrined.