| Ron Hodges | |
|---|---|
 Hodges in 1978 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: June 22, 1949 Rocky Mount, Virginia, U.S. | |
| Died: November 24, 2023 (aged 74) Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 13, 1973, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1984, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .240 |
| Home runs | 19 |
| Runs batted in | 147 |
| Teams | |
Ronald Wray Hodges (June 22, 1949 – November 24, 2023) was an American professional baseball player who spent his entire 12-year career as a catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Hodges was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1970 MLB Draft, but did not sign. He was also drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (15th pick) of the 1971 amateur draft (secondary phase), and the Atlanta Braves in the first round (tenth overall) of the 1971 amateur draft (secondary phase active), but chose not to sign with either of those teams. Eventually, he signed with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 1972 amateur draft (secondary phase).
During just his second professional season, Hodges was promoted to the major league roster when injuries afflicted the Mets' other catchers, Jerry Grote and Duffy Dyer. He made his major league debut on June 13, 1973, catching Tom Seaver.[1] Four days later, he hit his first career home run off the San Diego Padres' Bill Greif.[2] Hodges stayed with the Mets for the remainder of the season, batting .260 with eighteen runs batted in and just the one home run. He was on the Mets' postseason roster in 1973 and played in one game in the 1973 World Series, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance.
Hodges retired in 1984 with 666 games, 1,426 at bats, nineteen home runs, 147 RBIs, a batting average of .240, and an on-base percentage of .342.
Hodges' four sons all played college baseball.[3] He died at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 24, 2023, at the age of 74.[4]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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1/3Views:1 6121 34811 526
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Ron Hodges Hit Off Bert Blyleven Helps Mets Beat Pittsburgh Pirates
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Bob Horner Runs Over Ron Hodges At Home Plate
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The Shoe Polish Play (BaseballHistoryShorts.com)
Transcription
See also
References
- ^ "New York Mets 3, San Francisco Giants 1". Baseball-Reference.com. June 13, 1973.
- ^ "New York Mets 3, San Diego Padres 1". Baseball-Reference.com. June 17, 1973.
- ^ Krell, David. "Ron Hodges". sabr.org. Society of American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Longtime ex-Mets catcher Ron Hodges dead at 74". New York Post. November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ron Hodges at Ultimate Mets Database
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This page was last edited on 28 November 2023, at 22:06