Allen was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. He enjoyed a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1983. He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 7, 1983. He hit.296 in 27 at-bats during a 15-game stint as an outfielder and designated hitter with the World Series Champion Detroit Tigers in 1984, but was not on the team during the postseason. He enjoyed another brief stint in the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1988. Allen spent the last three years of his playing career with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the NPB. He hit a pair of home runs against Seibu Lions in the 1991 Japan Series and set a Japanese regular season record with four home runs in four consecutive at bats during his time in the league. He is infamous for charging the mound after Yokohama Taiyo Whales pitcher Kazuhiko Daimon hit him in the back with a pitch, subsequently chasing Daimon across the entire field with both teams' benches in tow.
From 1998 to 2002 he spent five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a television and radio analyst. He served as the color commentator on the Diamondbacks radio broadcasts during the 2001 postseason, including the World Series win against the New York Yankees. Allen was replaced as Diamondbacks television analyst by former major leaguer Mark Grace.
Detroit Tigers
Allen was the regular color commentator on Detroit Tigers telecasts for Fox Sports Detroit, joined by play-by-play man Mario Impemba. Allen won Michigan Emmys in 2006 and 2007 for his analysis of Detroit Tigers baseball. Allen is a longtime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association founded in 1948 by Tigers broadcaster Ty Tyson. On September 21, 2016, Tigers player James McCann hit a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins that put the Tigers up 6-0 in the sixth inning. Allen excitedly shouted "Second Deck!", but when you listen to it, it sounds like he's saying something inappropriate for work. This was picked up by Detroit radio station 97.1 the Ticket and is quickly becoming their most popular drop. On September 4, 2018, Allen and Impemba were allegedly involved in a physical altercation off the air after broadcasting the Tigers game against the Chicago White Sox. Fox Sports Detroit sent the men home on different planes after the game, and the next night's telecast was covered by Kirk Gibson and field-level reporter Matt Shepard. One source claimed that there was an argument over a chair, followed by Allen using a choke hold on Impemba, but Allen's agent denied that his client choked Impemba. On September 7, Fox Sports Detroit suspended both men from calling any Tigers games for the remainder of the 2018 season. It was later announced that Impemba and Allen's contracts were not renewed for future seasons, ending their 17-year partnership.
''Fox Saturday Baseball''
In addition to his work for the Diamondbacks and Tigers, Allen did color commentary for Fox Saturday Baseball, including games involving the Tigers until 2018.
