The past week, Christian Guzman earned National League co-player of the week honors for his amazing display of hitting that led the Washington Nationals to an 8-1 home stand. Guzman turned in multi-hit games for seven consecutive contests. The last baseball player in Washington to achieve that feat? Hank Allen, April 15 to April 26, 1969. You can look it up on the wonderful site www.retrosheet.org.
Allen played in two additional games during his streak. One as a defensive replacement in right field for Frank Howard at Yankee Stadium (April 17, 2nd game of a doubleheader) and a pinch runner for Howard at RFK Stadium (April 20, 2nd game of a doubleheader, a 5-2 victory over Baltimore).
For one month, April 1969, Allen became the Senators’ best hitter and overshadowed his more famous brother, Richie. In April Hank Allen hit .379, (22-58), often batting clean-up for Ted Williams surprisingly scrappy nine. Soon, his average faded and Allen drifted back to baseball obscurity. He played his final major league game for the Chicago White Sox on September 28, 1973.
Like Guzman’s, Allen’s feat might be soon forgotten, but Allen, an intelligent, dignified man who spent his retirement in nearby Southern Maryland, had one wonderful moment in the baseball spotlight in 1969.
Now, Guzman and Allen are linked in the history of Washington baseball. While often overlooked, it has its own bevy of heroes, goats, triumphs, defeats, and, above all, stories. Allen gave fans one almost 40 years ago, Guzman now writes a new chapter.