Editing Dick Allen (section)

===Chicago White Sox===
Allen was acquired by the [[1972 Chicago White Sox season|White Sox]] from the Dodgers for [[Tommy John]] and [[Steve Huntz]] at the [[Winter Meetings]] on December 2, 1971.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/03/archives/dodgers-get-frank-robinson-and-trade-allen-in-separate-deals-by.html Durso, Joseph. "White Sox Add Bahnsen, Ship McKinney to Yanks," ''The New York Times'', Friday, December 3, 1971.] Retrieved December 4, 2021</ref> For various reasons, his previous managers had shuffled him around on defense, playing him at first base, third base, and the outfield in no particular order – a practice which almost certainly weakened his defensive play, and which may have contributed to his frequent injuries, not to mention his perceived bad attitude.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} Sox manager [[Chuck Tanner]]'s low-key style of handling ballplayers made it possible for Allen to thrive, for a while, on the South Side. Tanner decided to play Allen exclusively at first base, which allowed him to concentrate on hitting. That first year, his first in the [[American League]] (AL), Allen almost single-handedly lifted the entire team to second place in the AL West, as he led the league in home runs (37) (setting a team record), [[Runs batted in|RBI]] (113), [[Base on balls|walks]] (99), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603), and [[on-base plus slugging]] percentage (1.023), while winning a well-deserved MVP award. However, the Sox fell short at the end and finished {{frac|5|1|2}} games behind the World Series–bound [[1972 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1972.shtml|title= 1972 AL Team Statistics |work=baseball-reference.com|publisher=[[Baseball Reference]]|access-date=December 8, 2020}}</ref>

Allen's feats during his years with the White Sox – particularly in that MVP season of 1972 – are spoken of reverently by South Side fans who credit him with saving the franchise for Chicago (it was rumored to be bound for St. Petersburg or Seattle at the time).<ref name=Tribune>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/white-sox/ct-chicago-white-sox-dick-allen-died-20201207-zyhngctlgjdq5mzhuq37wnrpmq-story.html|title=Dick Allen, the Chicago White Sox legend who won American League MVP honors in 1972, dies at 78|author=Paul Sullivan|author2=Paul Skrbina|date=December 7, 2020|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=December 8, 2020}}</ref> His powerful swing sent home runs deep into some of cavernous old [[Comiskey Park]]'s farthest reaches, including the roof and even the distant ({{convert|445|ft|m}}) center field bleachers, a rare feat at one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly stadiums. On July 31, 1972, Allen became the first player in baseball's "modern era" to hit two [[inside-the-park home run]]s in one game. Both homers were hit off [[Bert Blyleven]] in the White Sox' 8–1 victory over the [[Minnesota Twins]] at [[Metropolitan Stadium]]. On July 6, 1974, at [[1974 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit]]'s [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], he lined a homer off the roof façade in deep left-center field at a linear distance of approximately {{convert|415|ft|m}} and a height of {{convert|85|ft|m}}.<ref>Jenkinson, Bill: The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Homeruns, Carrol and Graf, 2007</ref>

On February 27, 1973, Allen became the highest-paid player in baseball, signing a 3-year $750,000 contract. His $250,000 AAV was a record at the time of the contract's signing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.southsidesox.com/2022/2/27/22567887/today-in-chicago-white-sox-history-february-27|title=Today in White Sox History: February 27|date=February 27, 2022 }}</ref> The Sox were favored by many to make the playoffs in [[1973 Chicago White Sox season|1973]], but those hopes were dashed due in large measure to the fractured fibula that Allen suffered in June. (He tried to return five weeks after injuring the leg in a collision with [[Mike Epstein]] of the [[California Angels]], but the pain ended Allen's season after just one game in which he batted 3-for-5.) In 1974, despite his making the AL All-Star team in each of the three years with the Sox, Allen's stay in Chicago ended in controversy when he left the team on September 14 with two weeks left in the [[1974 Chicago White Sox season|season]]. In his [[autobiography]], Allen blamed his feud with then third-baseman/Designated hitter [[Ron Santo]], who was playing a final, undistinguished season with the White Sox after leaving the crosstown [[Chicago Cubs]].<ref>Allen & Whitaker, ''Crash'', pp. 148–151.</ref>

With Allen's intention to continue playing baseball uncertain, the White Sox reluctantly sold his contract to the [[Atlanta Braves]] for only $5,000, despite the fact that he had led the league in home runs, slugging (.563), and OPS (.938). Allen refused to report to the Braves and announced his retirement.<ref name=Tribune />