Dick Allen‘s speed led to one of the memorable moments in his 15-year major league career.
On July 31, 1972, Allen became one of a select few to hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game.
Allen was in his 10th season overall and first with the Chicago White Sox. He would become the American League’s Most Valuable Player as he topped the circuit with 37 homers and 113 RBI, while batting .308.
The White Sox were at Minnesota and National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven was on the mound for the Twins.
Allen started the contest with a three-run homer in the first inning as he hit a ball that got past Twins centerfielder Bobby Darwin.
In the fifth, Allen drove in two more runs victimizing Darwin again as he completed his second race around the bases ending the day for Blyleven.
Chicago went on to an 8-1 win in Metropolitan Stadium. Stan Bahnsen went the distance for the White Sox to earn the victory by allowing one run on six hits.
With Allen leading the way, the White Sox finished second in the AL West behind eventual World Series winner Oakland.
Beginning in Philadelphia
A native of Pennsylvania, Allen made his big league debut in 1963 with the Philadelphia Phillies appearing in 10 contests without an homer.
The next season, Allen was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year as he blasted 29 long balls and knocked in 91 runs with a career-high .318 batting average.
Hitting 40 homers in 1966, Allen had the best total in his career.
Allen left the Phillies after the 1969 season. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970 and the Los Angeles Dodgers the following season.
After playing with the White Sox from 1972-1974, Allen returned to the Phillies for the 1975-1976 seasons before ending his career with the Oakland A’s in 1977.
A seven-time all-star, Allen hit 351 homers in his career with 1,119 RBI with a .292 average. He fell one vote shy of getting inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee in 2014.
Twin Hits the Next Pair
Greg Gagne of the Twins was the next player to hit two inside-the-park homers in a game, which is also the most recent time it’s happened.
Ironically, the contest was against the White Sox in Minnesota at the Metrodome with Blyleven on the mound again for the Twins on Oct. 4, 1986. However, this time he was the winning pitcher.
Gagne hit a solo homer in the second inning off Chicago lefthander Floyd Bannister and he got him again in the fourth. Gagne added a triple in the sixth as the Twins posted a 7-3 win.
Like Allen, Gagne played in the big leagues for 15 years. He came up with the Twins in 1983 and was a part the 1987 and 1991 world championship squads.
He played with the Kansas City Royals from 1993-1995 before finishing his career with the Dodgers in 1996-1997.