Gil Hodges

About the Gil Hodges

Gilbert Raymond Hodgeswas an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseballwho played most of his 18-year career for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. An eight-time All-Star, he anchored the infield for the Dodgers through six pennant winners and two World Series titles before leading the New York Mets to their first World Series title in 1969. One of the most beloved and admired players in major league history, Hodges was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, fifty years after his sudden death.

Born in Princeton, Indiana, Hodges was the son of a coal miner. He grew up in Petersburg, Indiana where he was a four-sport athlete in high school, before attending Saint Joseph’s College where he played baseball and basketball. He dropped out to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, making his debut at age 19 before being joining the United States Marine Corps during World War II, receiving the Bronze Star Medal after serving in combat as an anti-aircraft gunner during in the battles of Tinian and Okinawa in the Pacific theatre. After being discharged, Hodges returned to the Dodgers’ organization, making his way back to the majors in 1947.

During his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Hodges was a core member of the “Boys of Summer”, along with Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, and Pee Wee Reese. He was widely regarded as the major leagues’ outstanding first baseman in the 1950s, with Snider being the only player to have more home runs or runs batted in during the decade. Hodges held the National Leaguerecord for career home runs by a right-handed hitter from 1960 to 1963, with his final total of 370 briefly ranking tenth in major league history; he held the NL record for career grand slams from 1957 to 1974. A sterling defensive player, Hodges won the first three Gold Glove Awards for his position and led the NL in double plays four times and in putouts, assists and fielding percentage three times each. He ranked second in NL history with 1,281 assists and 1,614 double plays when his career ended, and was among the league’s career leaders in gamesand total chancesat first base.

After retiring as a player during the 1963 season, Hodges became the manager of the expansion Washington Senators. He did not have a winning season there, although the team did improve upon their win total each year during Hodges’ 5-year tenure. Before the 1968 season, the New York Mets hired Hodges as manager. The following season, in what is considered one of the greatest championship runs in sports history, he led the team to their first winning season and World Series title. A heavy smoker, Hodges died suddenly from a heart attack at age 47, during spring training in 1972. The Mets retired his number 14 the following season; 49 years later, during the 2022 season, the Dodgers, Hodges’s long-time team, followed suit after his election to the Hall of Fame.