#14 Hodges Finally is in the Hall of Fame

When the old-timer’s committee announced the results of their meeting and Gil Hodges became the latest Dodger to be enshrined at Cooperstown, I was elated. I had always felt Gil belonged. He was the best first baseman of his era. Although he did not garner enough writer support I felt they had made a mistake. The Veteran’s committee finally got it right. He is not entering alone, but he is entering posthumously. I just wish he were alive to see it. He was taken at too young an age when he passed from a heart attack in April of 1972 just 2 days shy of his 48th birthday. He was just 47 years old. Gil had won the World Series with the Mets as their manager in 1969.

Gilbert Raymond Hodges was born on April 4, 1924, in Princeton, Indiana. His father, Charles was a coal miner. His mother, Irene was a housewife who spent her time raising Gil, his older brother, Robert, and his sister, Marjorie. When he was seven, the family moved to nearby Petersburg. In high school, Hodges earned 7 varsity letters in 4 sports. Baseball, football, basketball, and track. He declined a contract offer from the Detroit Tigers in 1941, instead, attending St. Joseph’s College with the hope of someday becoming a collegiate coach. He was there for two years, 41-42 and 42-43. He competed in baseball and basketball, and very briefly in football.

His agent, Gabriel Levi, signed him to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and appeared in one game as a third baseman for the team that year. In the winter of 1943, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and because he had been in the Reserve Officer training program at St Joseph’s, he was assigned as an anti-aircraft gunner in the 16th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion. The battalion took part in the battles at Tinian Island, and Okinawa. Tinian is the Island where the B-29 Enola Gay took off from on its mission to bomb Hiroshima. Hodges was awarded a Bronze Star with a combat V device for heroism under fire.

Hodges got out of the Marine Corps in 1946. He played for the Dodgers Newport News team in the Piedmont league as a catcher and hit .279 in 129 games as they won the league championship. One of his teammates was 1st baseman and future TV star, Chuck Connors.

Hodges was called up to the Dodgers in 1947. He appeared in 28 games but did manage to hit his first career HR. He had one at-bat in the 47 series and struck out. In his rookie season, 1948, he was moved to first base with the emergence of Roy Campanella. Hodges hit .249 with 11 HRs and 70 driven in.

In 1949, Gil played in 156 games, he hit .285 with 23 HRs and 115 driven in. He would over the next six seasons drive in 100 or more runs every year. He only struck out 64 times in 596 at-bats. In the losing effort against the Yankees in 5 games, he had 4 hits, one of them a HR, and drove in 4. In 1950, he hit 32 HR’s and drove in 113. His BA dropped 2 points. The Dodgers were beaten out of the pennant by Philadelphia’s Whiz Kids, losing on the last day of the season.

1951. The Dodgers were in first place and cruising most of the year, in no small part due to the contributions of their star first baseman. Gil was a steady hand on defense and a big contributor with the bat. 40 HR’s, 103 driven home. Hodges was one of the player’s managers Charlie Dressen could count on. As we all know, the Giants got red hot, caught the Dodgers, and forced a playoff. That ended with Thompson’s walk-off blast against Branca and it was wait til’ next year in Brooklyn again.

1952 was a good season for the Dodgers, they won the NL pennant and were facing the Yankees again. Hodges had what was for him a down year. He hit 32 HR’s and drove in 102, but his BA dropped to .254 and he had only 129 hits, his lowest total in 4 years. But if that wasn’t bad enough, what happened in the 52 World Series for Hodges at least was worse. Gil went 0-21 in the series. He struck out six times. He did manage to drive in one run and score another, but it was a very forgettable series for Gil and the Dodgers who lost again to the Yanks in 7 games.

The slump continued into the following season. Fans reacted by sending good luck gifts and letters. Gil was very popular in Brooklyn and was the only Brooklyn regular who was NEVER booed at Ebbets Field. As the slump continued, one Brooklyn priest, Father Herbert Redmond of St. Francis Roman Catholic church, told his flock, ” It is far too hot for a homily. Keep the commandments and pray for Gil Hodges!”. Soon after Gil started hitting and the slump was ended. Carl Erskine, who considered himself a good Baptist, told Hodges, Gil, you made a believer out of me!

In 1953 Hodges had one of his best years. He hit .302. He hit 31 HR’s and drove in 122. Brooklyn won the pennant for the 2nd year in a row and faced the Yankees again. Although they lost the series in six games, Hodges hit .364. He only had one RBI and that came on his only homer of the series. But making up for the terrible 52 showing had to be satisfying for him. In 1954 he had his best season ever, .304 BA, career-high, 42 HR’s, career-high, and 130 RBI’s, also a career-high. Although he would drive in 102 runs in 55, Gil never came close to those numbers again. The Dodgers did not win the pennant in 54 under new manager, Walter Alston. But in 1955 they would finally reach the pinnacle of the game. Gil would play a huge role in that win.

Hodges regressed some with the bat in 55. BA was .289. He drove in 102 as previously mentioned and he hit 27 long balls. But his teammates, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella, both had MVP-type years with Campy just edging Snider for the title. In the World Series, despite losing the first two games at Yankee Stadium, they swept the next 3 in Brooklyn and headed to Yankee Stadium for the last two. Spooner gave up 5 runs in the first inning of game 6 and the Dodgers were never in it losing 5-1. Game seven saw Podres against Byrne, who had thrown a complete-game shutout in game 2. The shoe was on the other foot this time. And Gil was right in the middle of it. He drove in Campy, who had doubled with a 4th inning single, then hit a sac fly in the sixth scoring Reese. Podres kept pitching out of trouble with Amoro’s amazing catch in the 6th saving two runs. In the 9th, Elston Howard hit a ground ball to Reese who threw to Hodges for the third out and Brooklyn had its championship.

Over the last two seasons in Brooklyn, Gil remained a steady hitter and gloveman for the team. He also won the first three gold gloves awarded starting in 1957. He won LA’s first gold glove at 1st and the second in 1959. But his time as a regular was coming to an end. He played only 101 games in 1960 hitting .198 and 109 games in 61 hitting .242. He totaled 16 HR’s over those two seasons and after the 1961 season he was left open to the draft and was picked by the New York Mets.

Gil played parts of two seasons with the Mets, but he was nowhere near the player he had been, hitting .252 with 9 long balls but only 17 driven in during 62, and .227 in just 11 games in 63. It was during this season that Gil was traded to the Senators so he could replace Mickey Vernon as their manager. In May the deal was finalized with Jimmy Piersall coming to the Mets for Hodges. Hodges immediately retired so he could focus on his new job.

Hodges would manage the Senators until 1967. And even though they improved every year, they never had a winning season under Gil. 1967 was their best year under his leadership when they finished 76-85. One of the players who blossomed under Hodges was former Dodger ROY, Frank Howard. Hodges trusted Howard to be the kind of hitter he always could be, and in Gil’s last year there Howard responded with a 36 HR performance.

Moving on to the Mets in 68, Gil led them to one of their best seasons ever, a 73-89 effort in 68. In 1969 it all came together for the Mets. Hodges had a very good pitching staff anchored by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. But the real turning point for the Mets came in a doubleheader in July against the Astro’s. Houston had won the first game with an 11 run 9th, they were in the midst of a 10 run third and hitting line drives all over the yard. LF Cleon Jones failed to hustle after a ball. Hodges immediately pulled him from the game. But instead of just sending another player onto the field, or sending a coach out, Hodges called time, walked to left field, and escorted Jones off the field sending a clear message that not hustling would get you benched. Jones never let it happen again.

The 1969 Miracle Mets won the pennant and then after dropping the first game, came back to win four straight, and Hodges would be awarded the Sporting News Manager of the year award. In 70 and 71 they would finish 3rd with the same 83-79 record. In spring training while attending a golf tournament with Joe Pignatano, Eddie Yost, and Rube Walker, Hodges collapsed on the way back to the clubhouse, hitting his head hard as he landed. Although he was only declared dead 20 minutes later, Pignatano, who was cradling Hodges head in his arms was sure Gil passed while he was holding him. His death at age 47, just a few days short of his 48th birthday was a shock to all. Jackie said Gil was the core of the team. Erskine, who was totally devastated said his death was a bolt from the blue. Gil was laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Some of his accomplishments are, hitting for the cycle on June 25, 1949. 8 All-Star games, 7 in a row at one point. A 4 HR game on Aug 31, 1950. He led the league in assists and double plays multiple times. He held the HR mark for RH hitters for the Dodgers until Adrian Beltre broke it in 2004. He still at this point is the All-time leader for HRs as a Dodger RH hitter with 361. Second to Snider’s career 389 mark. They are still the only two Dodgers with more than 300 career HRs as a Dodger. He was on seven Dodger pennant-winning teams and 2 Dodger World Championship teams. And he won a series as a manager for the Mets. 3 Gold Gloves, 57-59. He was a solid player who contributed as much to the clubhouse as he did on the field, and as he showed in the 69 season with the Mets, he was a born leader. Well done, even if long overdue to #14. Gilbert Raymond Hodges. Dodgers should do the right thing and retire his number.