On July 31, 1972, At Metropolitan Stadium, Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox becomes only the seventh player in major league history to hit two inside-the-park home runs in a game and the first since 1939. Allen’s two circuit clouts, which come against Bert Blyleven of the Minnesota Twins, in the first and fifth innings to help lift the White Sox to an 8-1 victory.
The performance had manager Chuck Tanner singing the praises of the player who has been traded three times in three years. “I believe Dick Allen is the best player in the major leagues. He not only hits for power but also for average. He knocks in runs for us about 80 percent of the time when he comes up with men on base. He’s my Swiss watch.” Tanner said. Allen’s first inside-the-park homer scored Pat Kelly and Luis Alvarado for a 3-0 first-inning lead. Allen circled the bases after his line drive bounced away from centerfielder Bobby Darwin, who slipped trying to field the ball. Allen’s second blast also bounced away from Darwin, who tried to make a shoestring catch in the fifth inning.
Allen’s hits were his 12th and 13th homers in July and boosted his major league-leading total to 27. They enabled Stan Bahnsen to coast to his 13th win on a six-hitter. Tanner said. “I sympathize with Darwin. Allen hits the ball so hard it often acts like a knuckleball. Balls broke sharply away from Darwin and earlier this year he hit a drive at Mickey Stanley that broke about 10 feet.”
Allen, naturally, took it all in stride. “The balls I hit today aren’t anything new. I’ve hit balls like this in the National League for years and I’m not the only one who’s done it. Mickey Mantle used to crush the ball. Too. I’m not even thinking about leading the majors in homers. I just want tn win 95 games because I think that’ll put us on top of the division.” The White Sox are curently 5 and a half games behind Oakland.
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