Schmidt pointed out Allen didn’t have a negative reputation playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

“My friends, these (negative) labels have kept Dick Allen out of the Hall of Fame,” Schmidt said. “Imagine what Dick could’ve accomplished as a player in another era, on another team, left alone to hone his skills, to be confident, to come to the ballpark every day and just play baseball.”

Middleton choked up talking about Allen, recalling how he spent summers as a kid listening to Phillies games on a transistor radio at the Jersey shore. Allen was his favorite player.

“One of my strongest memories is a group of white suburban 8-, 9-, 10-year-old kids playing pickup ball and fantasizing we’re Dick Allen,” Middleton said. “For us, it had nothing to do with race. We just saw talent, extraordinary talent, more talent than we’ve ever seen in any baseball player in Philadelphia. We wanted to be just like Dick.”

Middleton made clear the Phillies retired Allen’s number solely on his production as a player. But he also called the abuse Allen received “horrific” and pointed out his accomplishments are even greater considering the racism he endured.

Allen was a seven-time All-Star, 1964 National League Rookie of the year and 1972 American League MVP. He batted .292 with 351 homers, 1,119 RBIs and .912 OPS in 15 seasons. Allen played first base, third base and left field.