Ron Hodges

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Ron Hodges

|image=Ron Hodges.jpg

|caption=Hodges in 1978

|position=Catcher

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1949|6|22}}

|birth_place=Rocky Mount, Virginia, U.S.

|death_date={{Death date and age|2023|11|24|1949|06|22}}

|death_place=Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 13

|debutyear=1973

|debutteam=New York Mets

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 30

|finalyear=1984

|finalteam=New York Mets

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.240

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=19

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=147

|teams=

New York Mets ({{mlby|1973}}–{{mlby|1984}})

}}

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). He batted lefty and threw righty.

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 {{mlby|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 in the Secondary Phase of the {{mlby|1972}} amateur draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mets-catcher-ron-hodges-dies-at-74|last=Ladson|first=Bill|title=Former Mets catcher Ron Hodges dies at 74|website=MLB.com|date=November 24, 2023}}

Rookie year

Despite batting just .173 with one home run and eleven runs batted in for the double A Memphis Blues, Hodges was brought up to the majors midway through his second professional season when injuries afflicted the Mets' other catchers, Jerry Grote and Duffy Dyer.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38969789/former-mets-catcher-ron-hodges-dies-74|title=Former Mets catcher Ron Hodges dies at 74|website=ESPN|publisher=Associated Press|date=November 24, 2023}} He made his major league debut against the San Francisco Giants on June 13, {{mlby|1973}}, catching a complete game by Tom Seaver, and collected his first major league hit in the seventh off Tom Bradley.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197306130.shtml|title=New York Mets 3, San Francisco Giants 1|website=Baseball-Reference.com|location=Shea Stadium|date=June 13, 1973}} Four days later, he hit his first career home run off the San Diego Padres' Bill Greif.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197306170.shtml|title=New York Mets 3, San Diego Padres 1|website=Baseball-Reference.com|location=Shea Stadium|date=June 17, 1973}}

Hodges stayed with the Mets for the remainder of the season, batting .260 with eighteen RBIs and just the one home run. He was involved in one of the most famous plays in Mets folklore when their September 20 match-up against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium went into extra innings. In the top of the thirteenth inning, the Pirates had Richie Zisk on first base when Dave Augustine hit what appeared to be a two-run home run to left. Instead, the ball hit the top of the wall and caromed directly into left fielder Cleon Jones' glove. Jones fired a strike to Wayne Garrett as the cut-off man, who in turn, fired a strike to Hodges to nail Zisk at the plate.{{cite web|url=https://metwiki.com/wiki/September_20,_1973:_The_%22Ball_on_the_Wall%22_Play|title=September 20, 1973: The "Ball on the Wall" Play|publisher=Mets Wiki|date=July 18, 2010}} In the bottom of the inning, Hodges singled in the winning run as part of a three game sweep the landed the Mets in first place in the National League East.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197309200.shtml|title=New York Mets 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3|website=Baseball-Reference.com|location=Shea Stadium|date=September 20, 1973}}

He was on the Mets' postseason roster in 1973 and played in one game in the {{wsy|1973}} World Series, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance.

Back up catcher

Hodges shared back up catcher duties with Dyer in {{mlby|1974}}. After the season, the Mets dealt Dyer to the Pirates,{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/23/archives/mets-get-clines-in-dyer-trade-clines-pirate-outfielder-is-sent-to.html|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|date= October 23, 1974|title=Mets Get Clines in Dyer Trade|newspaper=The New York Times}} and acquired catching prospect John Stearns from the Philadelphia Phillies.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/04/archives/big-deals-mcgraw-to-phils-allen-to-braves-lee-may-to-orioles-mcgraw.html |last=Durso |first=Joseph |title=Big Deals: McGraw to Phils, Allen to Braves, Lee May to Orioles |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 4, 1974 |page=53}} Stearns served as Grote's primary back up in {{mlby|1975}}, while Hodges spent most of the season in triple A Tidewater, appearing in just nine games that September.

The Mets carried three catchers in {{mlby|1976}}, and part of {{mlby|1977}}, until Grote was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/23/archives/mets-get-clines-in-dyer-trade-clines-pirate-outfielder-is-sent-to.html|title=Mets Swap Grote|newspaper=The Montreal Gazette|date= September 1, 1977}} At which point, Hodges became the primary back up to Stearns. He would spend the rest of his career as Stearns' back up, seeing more and more playing time as injuries plagued the second half of Stearns' career. He had career high five home runs and 27 RBIs in {{mlby|1982}}.

Career statistics

class="wikitable"

Games

|PA

|AB

|Runs

|Hits

|2B

|3B

|HR

|RBI

|SB

|BB

|SO

|HBP

|Avg.

|Slg.

|OBP

|Fld%

|CS%

666

|1683

|1426

|119

|342

|56

|19

|147

|10

|224

|217

|.240

|.342

|.322

|.978

|31%

Hodges sold Real-Estate at "Mountain To Lake" in Rocky Mount, Virginia for thirty years following his playing career. He died at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 24, 2023, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, Peggy; sons Riley, Gray, Nat and Casey and two grandchildren. All four of his sons played college baseball.

References

External links

{{baseballstats|mlb=116009|espn=118|br=h/hodgero01|fangraphs=1005886|brm=hodges002ron|retro=H/Phodgr001}}, or [https://ultimatemets.com/profile.php?PlayerCode=0209 Ultimate Mets Database]