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Let’s Remember Gil Hodges on the One Hundredth Anniversary of His Birth!

Gary Livacari

8 months ago

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Gil Hodges Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:

Gil celebrates with Dodger teammates Duke Snider, Clem Labine, and Roy Campanella

Gil on the day of his marriage to Joan Lombardi, with teammates Eddie Miksis and Ralph Branca

Gil during his days as Met manager

Gil with Carl Erskine

Gil showing off his massive hands

Gil Hodges

Gil with Dodger teammates

Gil with Casey Stengel after winning the 1969 World Series

Gil with Tom Seaver

Gil adresses the troops

Gil Hodges and outfielder Ron Swoboda

Gil watches as President Nixon throws out the first pitch

1969 World Series, Gil with Bowie Kuhn and Earl Weaver

Gil Hodges with Carl Furillo and Sandy Amaros

Newspaper account of World Series victory

Gil talks with some of his Mets players

The Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial bridge

Gil reaches in to the stands for a foul ball

Gil Hodges

Let’s Remember Gil Hodges on the One Hundredth Anniversary of His Birth!!

“Gil Hodges was the core of the Brooklyn Dodgers.” –Jackie Robinson

“Gil was a great player, but an even greater man.” -Duke Snider

“I’ve never met a finer man.” – Johnny Podres

These accolades reveal just how much Gil Hodges meant to his teammates and to all who knew him. So let’s take a moment to remember this fine ball player on the one-hundredth anniversary of his birth this week, April 4, 1924, with a few words about his outstanding career:

Gil Hodges’ Career

No doubt August 31, 1950, was a memorable day in the career of Gil Hodges. On that day, he became the sixth player in major league history – and only the fourth player in the 20th century – to hit four homers in one game. He’s currently one of only 18 players to accomplish the feat. He also tied the major league record for total bases with 17. Gil hit the homers off four different pitchers, the first being Warren Spahn. Ironically, Carl Furillo was on base each time.

Gil in a heated discussion with the umpires

The Princeton, Indiana native played 18 seasons in the major leagues (1943, 1947-’63) for the Dodgers (1943, 1947-‘61) and the Mets (1962-’63). Over his career, he hit .273, with 370 home runs,1294 RBIs, 1105 runs, 1274 doubles, a .359 on-base percentage, and a .487 slugging average. His OPS+ of 120 places him well above his contemporaries. In 39 post-season games, he hit .267 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

The eight-time All Star was generally considered the best defensive first baseman of the 1950s, earning three Gold Glove awards and leading the league in many defensive categories. After his playing career, he managed the Senators (1963-’67), and the Mets (1968-’71), including the 1969 World Series championship, one of the greatest upsets in Fall Classic history.

Other Highlights From His Life and Career:

He was a member of three World Series championships: 1955, 1959, and 1969.
He was the National League leader in putouts, assists and fielding average three times each; and in double plays four times.
When he retired, he ranked second in the National League with 1,281 assists and 1,614 double plays, and was among the league’s career leaders in games (6th) and total chances at first base (10th).
Gil served in combat as an anti-aircraft gunner in the battles of Tinian and Okinawa, and received a Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” for heroism under fire.
On June 25, 1949, Gil hit for the cycle.
In 1949, he tied Hack Wilson’s Dodger club record for home runs by right-handers with 23.
In 1951, he became the first Dodger to hit 40 home runs. He again topped the 40 mark in 1954 with 42. He had six seasons with over 30 home runs.
He drove in 100-or-more runs in seven straight seasons (1949-1955) and had 11 straight seasons (1949-59) with at least 20 home runs.
With his 140th home run in 1953, he surpassed Doph Camilli as the all-time Dodger home run leader. His 361 home runs with the Dodgers remain second in team history to Duke Snider’s 389.
His 1,614 career double plays placed him behind only Charlie Grimm (1733) in National League history.
His 1,281 career assists rank second in National League history to Fred Tenney’s 1,363, and trail only Ed Konetchy’s 1,292 among all right-handed first basemen.
In 1957 Gil set the National League record for career grand slams, breaking the mark of 12 shared by Rogers Hornsby and Ralph Kiner; his final total of 14 was broken by Aaron in 1974.

Gil Hodges’ #14 was retired by the Mets in 1973. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, and is a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame. Gil passed away fifty-two years ago this week on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972, of a heart attack shortly after finishing a round of golf.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Gil Hodges Wikipedia page; stats from Gil Hodges Baseball Reference page

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