Brooklyn's Finest, Mets' First

Glancing Back, and Remembering Gil Hodges

An eight-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner with the Dodgers, first baseman Gil Hodges was the second most prolific home run hitter of the 1950s. His 310 home runs were second only to Dodger teammate Duke Snider’s 326.

Hodges also drove in 1,001 runs during the 1950s … more than Stan Musial and Yogi Berra. More than Mantle and Mays. More than any major league player except Snider.

As good as Hodges was as a slugger, he was even better as a manager. After returning to New York in the twilight of his career as the Mets’ first baseman, Hodges retired as a player following the 1963 season. He became the manager of the Washington Senators and led that expansion team to a franchise-best sixth-place finish in 1967. The Mets acquired Hodges for pitcher Bill Denehy and $100,000 following the 1967 season.

The 1968 Mets, in their first season under Hodges’ direction, had their best finish at 73-89.

They would finish 27 games better in 1969, winning the National League East Division by 8.0 games, sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the league’s first Championship Series, and then stunning the baseball world – and the American League champion Baltimore Orioles – by taking the World Series in five games.

Why isn’t this gentleman in the Hall of Fame … as a manager, or as a player, or both?


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