Philadelphia Phillies to retire Dick Allen's No. 15 next month

The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday they will retire Dick Allen's No. 15 in a ceremony on Sept. 3.

The date will mark the 57th anniversary of Allen's major league debut with the team.

This marks a change in policy for the Phillies, who have previously retired only numbers of players who are in the Hall of Fame.

The 16-member Golden Days Committee, which considers candidates who played from 1950 to '69 for election into the Hall of Fame, will consider Allen this December for the Class of 2021. He is one of 10 finalists who will be considered. In 2014, when he was considered for election by the Golden Era Committee, he fell short by just one vote.

"Dick Allen burst onto the 1964 Phillies and immediately established himself as a superstar," John Middleton, the Phillies' managing partner, said in a statement. "His legendary performance on the field gave millions of fans lasting memories, and he helped cement my love for baseball and the Phillies as a young boy. The Phillies organization is thrilled to give Dick and his family this honor that recognizes his Hall of Fame-worthy career and his legacy as one of the greatest Phillies of all time."

Allen, 78, played nine of his 15 major league seasons with the Phillies. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1964 for Philadelphia and won an American League MVP award in 1972 for the Chicago White Sox when he led the AL in home runs (37) and RBIs (113). Overall, the seven-time All-Star hit .292 with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs in his career, which also included stops with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics.

Allen's number will be the eighth retired by the Phillies.