| Bob Allison | |
|---|---|
 Allison in 1965 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1934-07-11)July 11, 1934 Raytown, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: April 9, 1995(1995-04-09) (aged 60) Rio Verde, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1958, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1970, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .255 |
| Home runs | 256 |
| Runs batted in | 796 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William Robert Allison (July 11, 1934 – April 9, 1995) was an American professionalbaseballoutfielder who played 13 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), with theWashington Senators /Minnesota Twins.
Allison attended theUniversity of Kansas for two years and was a star outfielder on thebaseball team andfullback on thefootball team. In his Major League career, he hit 30 or morehome runs three times and 20 or more in eight different seasons. Although he struck out often like many sluggers, reaching the century mark in strikeouts in five seasons, he received more than his share of walks and despite a mediocre career .255 batting average, Allison finished with a lifetimeon-base percentage (OBP) of .358 and he finished in the top 10 in OBP in four seasons.[1] Allison wasn't an especially fast player, but he was among the most feared base-runners of his time in hustling out numerousdoubles andtriples – leading the league in triples in 1959 (with 9) and finishing in the top 10 twice in doubles (1960 & 1964) and four times in triples (1959, 1962, 1967, and 1968).[1]
At the three outfield positions he showed good range, finishing in the top five in range factor per nine innings five times, and his strong arm was rated as one of the best in the league. He also played a solidfirst base late at his career and his competitive attitude was highly praised by teammates and opponents. Despite his skill in the field, which saw him finish in the top 5 in theAmerican League in outfieldassists three times (1961, 1962, and 1965) and outfieldputouts twice (1959 and 1963), he also produced many errors and Allison led the league with 11 errors in 1960, finished second twice (1959 and 1963), and finished fourth in errors by a first baseman in 1964.[1]
Allison was born on July 11, 1934 inRaytown, Missouri to Robert and Frances (Witte) Allison, the oldest of three children. His father was a former semi-pro baseball catcher. He attended Raytown High School where he starred in football at quarterback and fullback, as well as in basketball and track. The school did not have a baseball team, and he played baseball in the Ban Johnson League,[2] in theKansas City, Missouri area.[3]
After graduating in 1952, he entered theUniversity of Kansas on a football scholarship, and played baseball as well under coachFloyd Temple. He continued to play baseball in the Ban Johnson League in the summers from 1952 to 1954. He was scouted by a number of major league baseball teams, and in the fall of 1954 when he lost his eligibility to play sports because of his grades, decided to leave Kansas for professional baseball.[3]
After leaving theUniversity of Kansas at the age of 20, Allison was signed by the Senators as an amateur free agent before the start of the 1955 season.[1] After signing, he was assigned to theHagerstown Packets of theClass BPiedmont League where he hit only .256 in 122 games.[4] The following year, he was promoted to theCharlotte Hornets in theSingle-ASouth Atlantic League. His roommate wasHarmon Killebrew, future Senators and Twins teammate and a lifelong friend.[5]
Although he improved his power numbers, hitting 12 home runs and 6 triples, his batting average dipped to .233. Allison then spent 1957 and 1958 playing for theChattanooga Lookouts of theDouble-ASouthern League and raised his batting average andslugging percentage to .307 and .446 respectively in 1958 (both highs in his minor league career). On September 16, 1958, Allison made his major league debut, batting lead-off, and got a single in fourat bats in a 5–1 loss to theCleveland Indians.[6]
In1959, Allison went north with the Senators and hebatted .261 with 30 home runs and 85runs batted in; leading the league in triples (9), while fifth in stolen bases (13). He was named to theAll-Star team, received a smattering of Most Valuable Player (MVP) votes, and was honored by being votedRookie of the Year.[5][3] Allison experienced a "sophomore slump" in 1960 with an across-the-board drop in his offensive statistics. However, he came back strong in 1961, hitting 29 home runs – including three grand slams – with 105 RBIs, although his batting average dropped for the second year in a row, to .245.[1]
The Senators moved to Minnesota in1961.[7] Allison hit the first home run in Twins history off future hall of fameYankees pitcherWhitey Ford.[3] On April 16, 1961 inBaltimore, he hit the first grand slam home run in Twins history, as well as a three-run home run in the same game.[8] Allison became a local favorite[3] and along with teammate Harmon Killebrew made one of the most dangerous one-two punches in baseball. In1961, they combined for 75 home runs, 80 in1963, and 81 in1964.[1][9] In a July 18, 1962 game against theCleveland Indians, they each hit agrand slam home run in the first inning.[10] They were known as "Mr. Upstairs" (Killebrew) and "Mr. Downstairs" (Allison).[3]
In1963, Allison had 25 doubles, 35 home runs, 91 RBIs, led the league inruns scored (99) and inOPS (.911), and earned his second All-Star berth.[11] In addition, he became the first of four Twins to lead the league inWAR, a stat that measures a player's overall production both in the field and at the plate. Other Twins leading the league in WAR includeZoilo Versalles,Rod Carew, andJoe Mauer, all of whom were named MVP in the seasons they did so. Only Allison did not win the MVP in the same season (finishing a distant 15th behind winnerElston Howard and behind teammatesCamilo Pascual,Earl Battey, and Killebrew on the 1963 ballot[12]).[citation needed]
He followed this up in1964 with a 32-home run 86 RBIs performance that got him named to his third and final All-Star team,[13] this time at first base.[14] The next year, Allison suffered a broken left hand when he was hit by a pitch.[3] Records reflect that he played in 135 games in 1965, in a 162 game season,[1][15] playing 68 games after returning from the injury.[3] In 1966, he was again hit by a pitch that broke his wrist, and played in only 70 games,[1][3] but returned at the end of the season to knock apinch-hit three-run homer against theNew York Yankees on September 18, 1966.[16][17]
During the Twins'1965 World Series season, Allison had a down year, after suffering a fractured wrist on July 6th,[3] hitting only .233 in 135 games.[1] Before the injury he was hitting .267 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI, and after returning he hit .199 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs.[3] He continued his poor production versus theLos Angeles Dodgers, reaching base only 4 times (two walks, a double, and a home run in a game 6 win[18]) and striking out 9 times in 16 at-bats, the last of which was againstSandy Koufax for the final out in Game 7 of the 1965World Series.[3] However, he had a memorable Game 2 of the Series. His bases-loaded double against Koufax and a great backhand diving catch of aJim Lefebvre fly ball were the main contributors to the Twins victory.[19][3] This catch has been called the best catch in Twins history[by whom?] and one of the most spectacular catches seen in World Series history.[20] Harold Kaese of the Boston Globe considered it a better catch then the legendary World Series catches ofAl Gionfriddo andWillie Mays, among others.[21]
Allison's slide at the plate continued into the 1966 season. His wrist was again fractured when he was hit by a pitch fromJim Lonborg.[3] He played in only 70 games and hit .233. However, he returned in a big way in 1967, hitting .258 with 24 home runs with 75 RBIs in a year which the league batting average was only .236.[1]
In 13 seasons, Allison finished in the top ten in home runs eight times (1959, 1961–65, 1967–68).[citation needed] Particularly memorable home run feats included combining withHarmon Killebrew to become the first pair to hit grand slams in the same inning on July 18, 1962,[22] hitting home runs in three consecutive at-bats on May 17, 1963,[23] and teaming with Killebrew,Tony Oliva, andJimmie Hall to hit four consecutive home runs on May 2, 1964.[24]
During his baseball career, he worked during the off season in sales forCoca-Cola Bottling Midwest Co. in suburbanMinneapolis. After retirement, he continued with that business, becoming a plant manager and a sales manager for Coca-Cola's Twin Cities Marketing Division.
Thirteen years after his retirement, Allison began noticing problems with his coordination during a 1987 old-timers game at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Running and even catching the ball became difficult. Following two years of doctor visits to learn what was wrong, the diagnosis was finally made — Allison was suffering from a progressive sporadicataxia known as Olivo-Ponto cerebellar atrophy.[25]
In 1990, Allison helped found the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center at theUniversity of Minnesota along with his wife Betty, sons Mark, Kirk, and Kyle, and former Twins' teammatesJim Kaat andFrank Quilici. He continued to battle this rare degenerative neurological disease for eight years, eventually losing his ability to walk, talk, write, and feed himself. Allison died of complications fromataxia on April 9, 1995, at the age of 60 in hisRio Verde, Arizona, home.[26]
Following his death, the Minnesota Twins created the Bob Allison Award for the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field.[27]
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