Hodges, "Gil" [Gilbert R. Hodge]
Baseball
b. April 4, 1924, Princeton, IN
d. April 2, 1972
A right-handed first baseman, Hodges was a 6-foot-1 1/2-inch, 200-pound power hitter who fielded his position with surprising grace. He played in just one game with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, joined the team for good at the end of 1947 season, and became a starter in 1948.
Hodges drove in more than 100 runs 7 consecutive years, 1949 through 1955, and hit 22 or more home runs 11 seasons in a row, 1949 through 1959, with a high of 42 in 1954. He was with the Dodgers when they moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and he spent two seasons with the expansion New York Mets in 1962 and early in 1963 before retiring as a player to become manager of the AL's Washington Senators.
A member of seven pennant-winning teams, six in Brooklyn and one in Los Angeles, Hodges was unfortunately known for performing poorly in the World Series in his early years, especially after going hitless in 21 at-bats against the Yankees in 1952. However, he batted .364 in 1953, .292 with 5 RBI in 1955, when Brooklyn won its only world championship, .304 with 8 RBI in 1956, and .391 with a triple and a home run in 1959, when Los Angeles won its first world title.
Hodges managed Washington through 1967, then took over the Mets. He did an outstanding job of platooning in guiding the 1969 Mets to a pennant and World Series victory. Hodges died of a heart attack during spring training in 1972.
In 18 seasons as a player, Hodges had a .273 average on 1,921 hits, including 295 doubles, 48 triples, and 370 home runs. He scored 1,105 runs, had 1,274 RBI and led NL first basemen in fielding percentage three times. As a manager, he had a 660-753 record.