Mets Legendary Manager Gil Hodges Elected To Hall Of Fame
Better late than never.
Mets legendary manager Gil Hodges was finally elected into the Hall of Fame on Sunday night.
In what was his 35th appearance on the ballot for Cooperstown, Hodges received the minimum requirement of 75 percent of the vote by the Golden Days era committee to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
Hodges passed away due to a sudden heart attack in 1972 at the young age of 47. He was a U.S. Marine, All-Star first baseman for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and World Series-winning manager for the Mets.
In 18 seasons in the big-leagues, Hodges smacked 370 home runs, knocked in 1,274 RBIs and accumulated 1,921 hits. He was an eight-time All-Star and won three Gold Glove Awards at first base.
Hodges also won two World Series titles with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959. In addition to his impressive track record on the field, Hodges was a World War II hero, winning a Bronze star at Okinawa while he was in the Marines.
Although his managing career began with five straight losing seasons as the skipper of the Washington Senators, the Mets traded pitcher Bill Denehy and $100,000 to acquire him after the 1967 season.
And the rest is history, as Hodges led the "Miracle Mets" dugout to a 100-62 record in 1969, which ended in the first World Series title in the club's existence.
The Mets went from lovable losers to World Champions with Hodges as their manager. And his No. 14 was retired by the team back in 1973 following his tragic death.
During his time with the Mets, Hodges managed future Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. Mets' great Jerry Koosman was also in his starting rotation as well.
In the final two seasons of his playing career, Hodges was with the Mets from 1962-1963.
Along with Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva were also selected to the Hall of Fame. Next month, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will announce their selections for 2022.
