TRIVIA - Dick Allen never played third base before coming to the major leagues, and he did lead the league in errors in 1964 and 1967. But over that four-year period he was second only to Ron Santo in assists and starting double plays. And he might have been even better if not for three severe injuries. In the middle of 1965, Allen got into a fight with (ex-third baseman) Frank Thomas over the latter’s racist hazing of another black player on the team. During the fight, Thomas hit Allen’s shoulder with a baseball bat, apparently with some force. Allen was hitting .341 before the fight; over the rest of the season he hit .271, and his defensive runs performance fell sharply as well. Before the 1966 season opened, Allen dislocated a shoulder (not sure if it was the same one), and the next year he cut his throwing hand in a freak accident while pushing a stalled car in his driveway. The last injury reduced the feeling in two of his fingers, which prevented him from gripping the ball properly and forced his move to first, where he wouldn’t have to throw so much. Yet in spite of his lack of experience and three severe injuries, Dick Allen acquitted himself decently well at third.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 22:23:19 +0000
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