Ron Hunt: The First Mets Player To Start An All Star Game (1963-1966)

Ronald Kenneth Hunt was born on February 23, 1941, in St. Louis, Missouri. The infielder was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1959, spending time in the low minors for three seasons. 

In 1962 he batted .309 at AA ball when he was purchased by the New York Mets that October. 

Quotes- Ron Hunt: At first The Mets were using him as a bullpen catcher during spring training 1963. “Larry Burright wasn't doing too well at second base. I went up to Casey after a game in the Polo Grounds and said, I’m Ron Hunt #33. I'm not a bullpen catcher, I can play second base. If you want me to go to the minors every day until you need me, I'll do it.”

“I guess Casey took a liking to me, he asked `Do you want to play that badly, son? You're in the lineup tomorrow." 

1963: Hunt became the Mets main second baseman for the next four seasons, and in 1963 he was one of their most steady players in his rookie year. 

Walk Off Hit: On April 19th, in just his third career game he had three hits including an exciting walk off game winning two run double in the bottom of the 9th inning, off Milwaukee's Claude Raymond for a 5-4 win.

A week later he drove in one of two runs in Carl Willeys three hit shutout over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He kept his average over .300 with a ten-game hit streak, hitting safely in 17 of twenty games through mid-May.

Walk Off Error: On June 2nd he came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning with two on & one out facing the Pirates Roy Face. He hit a fly ball to Jerry Lynch in left field whose error allowed the winning run to score.

In June he had a four-hit day against the Reds in Cincinnati & then the next day drove in two runs leading New York to a 4-1 win over the Reds. He would have five more three hit games on the season.

Hunt went into September hitting safely in twenty of twenty-two games. He would have another 12-game hit streak later that month. On September 8th he broke up a 2-2 tie with the Reds in the top of the 8th inning with an RBI single off Joe Nuxhall. He drove in at least run in four straight games that week.

For the season he led the team in hits (145) batting average (.272) doubles (28) runs (64) & on base percentage (.334) as well as sacrifices & hit by pitches (13). 

That year Hunt also hit a career high 10 HRs & 28 doubles with 42 RBIs finishing as runner up to Pete Rose for the Rookie of the Year Award. 

Hit By Pitch Legacy: Hunt would become famous, actually legendary, for getting hit by pitches leading the team every year in that category from 1963-1966. The thirteen HBP in 1963 was a club record that would stand for 34 years until John Olerud broke it in 1997. After his Mets career he would lead the NL in that category seven straight years.

1964: Hunt started out the season getting two hits on Opening Day in Philadelphia. On April 26th in Pittsburgh, he collected three hits & scored all three runs in the Mets 3-2 win.

Mets Firsts: On April 17th, 1964, he started at third base and batted in the third position in the first game played at the new Shea Stadium. In the 4th inning he doubled getting the first Mets extra base hit in the new ballpark. He then scored the team's first run, when Jesse Gonder singled him home. 

On April 23rd, three games later Hunt hit the first home run by a Mets player in the new Shea Stadium. It came in the bottom of the 8th inning off the Cubs Dick Ellsworth in a 5-1 Mets loss.

In May he had a nine-game hit streak, hitting safely in 13 of 16 games staying over the .300 mark. 

RBIs vs Two Hall of Famers in Same Game: On May 14th, Hunt hit a two run double off Warren Spahn in the 4th inning & then in the 6th inning had an RBI single off Phil Niekro, giving him RBIs against two Hall of Famers in the same game. The Mets went on to a 12-4 win.

 In June he hit .350 collecting 42 hits in the month with four doubles two HRs & nine RBIs. Starting on June 5th, he had back-to-back HR games vs the Dodgers, the first in an 8-0 Mets win where Galen Cisco tossed a four-hit shutout vs. the reigning World Champs. In mid-June he started a twelve-game hit streak & had eight multi-hit games in that streak.

First Met to Start All Star Game: By July he was hitting .312 and got to represent the Mets in a starting position as the National League's second baseman, in the 1964 All Star game.

The game was played in the brand-new Shea Stadium in New York just across from the 1964 World's Fair in Queens. This was the only All-Star Game ever held in Shea Stadium.

The anticipation mounted as he waited his turn at bat in between innings & in the on-deck circle in the 3rd inning. Then when he walked up to the plate, Hunt received a tremendous standing ovation from the hometown fans. He led off the inning with a single off the L.A. Angels Dean Chance. Overall, Hunt was 1-3 in the game, won by the NL in the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk off HR off Dick Radtz by the Phillies Johnny Callison.

In the second half of the year Hunt continued his fine hitting. He put together an eight-game hit streak in July with another six-game hit streak in August. On July 12th he matched his season high three RBIs in a 5-1 win over the Reds.

In August he collected 33 more hits & drove in a season high 11 runs. 

On August 28th during a wild 12-10 Mets win at Wrigley Field, it was Hunts bases loaded single in the 8th inning that tied the game. That day he had three hits, drove in three runs for the third time on the season & scored two runs. 

In September he missed three weeks of action due to injury, returning to close out the season where Casey's Mets went 53-109 finishing tenth.

Hunt finished the 1964 season leading the team with a .303 average & getting hit by 11 pitches. He hit 6 triples with 6 HRs 19 doubles 59 runs scored & 42 RBIs. He walked 29 times posted a .357 on base % & a .763 OPS.

His six stolen bases were also enough to lead the slow-footed club. 

At second base his .979 fielding % was fourth best in the NL, and he was fourth in assists (317) & fifth in put outs (244). 

1965: Injuries limited him to only 57 games, he started out missing all but one game in the month of April. After just ten games he went down again missing three months of action returning in early August.

On August 27th he hit three doubles off a 44-year-old Warren Spahn after he had been released by the Mets & was now pitching for the San Francisco Giants. 

Walk Off Hit: On September 28th, The Mets Dennis Ribant threw 11 innings of shutout ball against the Pirates. Pittsburgh's Tommi Sisk held the Mets scoreless for eight innings & Roy Face for three more innings. In the bottom of the 12th the Mets loaded the bases with singles from Joe Christopher & John Stephenson. 

Face then intentionally walked Charley Smith. Ron Hunt then delivered the walk off game winning base hit to centerfield, giving New York an exciting 1-0 win.

For the 1965 season. Hunt hit .240 with 12 doubles, one HR, 10 RBIs & a .309 on base % in 196 at bats. 

Quotes- Ron Hunt: "My first contract was for $7,000, we couldn't afford to live in New York, so my wife Jackie found us a place in Fort Lee, New Jersey. I drove an 18-wheeler for $2.85 an hour in the offseason. 

The Hunt's Grocery Shopping in Maspeth Queens

"Casey called me in the office about a month into the season and he said, 'Son, you need a raise.' I said, 'Yes, sir.' He said, 'How's $500 sound?' I said, 'Is that $500 a month?' He said, 'No! That's 500 a year.' So I called my wife - and it's still the same wife, 37 years now - and she said, 'We'll take it!' When the Mets moved to Shea in 1964, Ron & his wife moved into a basement apartment in Maspeth.

1966: After a slow start in April, he had a great May starting the month getting 17 hits on a ten-game home stand. 

Five RBI Game: On May 20th in a 7-5 Mets win at Candlestick Park, Hunt had his first career five RBI game. In the top of the 6th inning, he hit a two run single off Gaylord Perry. In the 8th he led the Mets to victory breaking the 4-4 tie with a three run HR off Lindy McDaniel.

Another Mets First: On June 5th in the first game of a double header, he became the first Met to hit an inside the park HR. It came off the great Dodger Hall of Famer, Sandy Koufax, in a16-3 Mets shellacking loss to Dodgers at Shea Stadium.

On June 17th, with the Mets down 5-4 to the Reds in the top of the 8th inning, Hunt's double off Bob McCool, drove in Johnny Lewis & Chuck Hiller giving the Mets the lead, as they went on to the 6-5.

1966 All Star: He was batting .293 at the break & made another All-Star team. Hunt was a reserve player in the All-Star Game played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. In the bottom of the 10th inning Hunt sacrificed Tim McCarver over to second base in the 1-1 tie game. Maury Wills then singled off Pete Richert bringing in McCarver with the walk off game winning run.

In the second half, he had another hot streak in August collecting 24 hits over a 15-game stretch while hitting safely in ten of eleven games. He kept his average up near .300 until early September when he fell below .290.

On the next to last day of the season, he helped Jack Fisher preserve his six-hit shutout by driving in the only run of the game. Hunt's base hit off Houston's Larry Dierker in the bottom of the 9th inning scored Eddie Bressoud for the Mets 1-0 win over the Astros. 

He would finish the year once again leading the team in batting average (.288) hits (138) on base % (.356) and hit by pitches (11). Hunt hit three HRs with 19 doubles 63 runs scored & 33 RBIs.

Traded From New York: In November of 1966 he and Jim Hickman were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Davis. It was the first trade between the two rivals since they had moved to the West Coast. 

Mets Career Stats: In his four-year Mets career, Hunt played 420 games at second base, 7th most in Mets history. He played 459 games batting .282 with 474 hits 78 doubles 13 triples 20 HRs 127 RBIs. He struck out 133 times walked 124 times scored 207 runs with a .344 on base % & .723 OPS.

Hunt was heartbroken after the trade & took time for him to adjust. On the year he batted .263 & was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Tom Haller that winter. 

Post Mets Career- Giants: Hunt played three seasons as the Giants main second baseman in San Francisco, leading all second baseman in errors in 1968 (20) then posted the league’s fourth best fielding % in the next year. 

On September 17th, 1968, his HR was the difference in Gaylord Perry’s no-hitter at Candlestick Park as the Giants edged Bob Gibson & the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. He led the NL in getting hit by pitches in each of his final seven seasons including 25 hits by pitches in 1968. That year he hit just .250 but posted a .371 on base % while drawing 78 walks (3rd in the NL). 

1969: Years later Hunt said he really began to get hit more by pitches in San Francisco, claiming "but why would you hit me to face guys like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey & Jim Ray Hart?"

Hit By Pitch Single Game Record: On April 29 in a game hosting the Cincinnati Reds in front of just 3,247 at Candlestick Park, Hunt set a record by getting plunked three times in a game.

After going 1-1 with a single, he was hit by his former Mets teammate Jack Fisher in the 6th inning. In the bottom of the 8th, he was hit by Wayne Granger. The record third time did not come until the 12th inning when he was plunked by George Culver.

That season he batted .262 getting hit by a league leading 25 pitches.

 In 1970 he batted .281 with 6 HRs 17 doubles & posted a .394 on base % leading the NL for a third straight year with 26 hit by pitches. The following year Tito Fuentes took over at second base as the Giants went on to win the NL Western title. 

Expos Career: That December he was traded to the Montreal Expos for Dave McDonald. In Montreal he was the teams main second baseman for three seasons & was a popular player there as well. 

Hit By Pitch Record: On September 29th in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Jarry Park, Montreal, Hunt was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 2nd inning by Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas. 

It was the 50th time that year he had been hit by a pitch, setting a new record for batters in the 20th century. The pitcher Pappas argued that the pitch was a strike & Hunt got in the way of the ball. Legendary managers Leo Durocher & Sparky Anderson had similar claims throughout the year. That month Hunt was hit by ten pitches & in July he had been hit eleven times in the month. He had four months where he was plunked at least nine times.

Hunt posted his best on base % (.402%) up to that point in his career (4th in the NL) while batting .279 with 41 walks 20 doubles 5 HRs & 38 RBIs. He only struck out 41 times in 528 at bats, 638 plate appearances, while hitting 20 doubles for the first of two straight seasons. That season he also had career bests in runs scored (89- 8th most in the league) & games played (152). 

The next year he dropped off in his production but rebounded in 1973. That year Hunt career highs batting .309 with a .418 on base % & 10 stolen bases. He scored 61 runs drove in 18 runs was hit by 26 pitches & drew 52 walks. He received votes for the MVP award, coming in 26th while playing in 113 games.

Trivia: Hunt also set an Expo record by only striking out just 19 times in 401 at-bats. 

In 1974 he was playing mostly at third base, after 115 games, he was batting .268 with 15 doubles & 26 RBIs but the Expos were trying to overturn their team & Hunt was placed on waivers. Larry Parrish was waiting in the wings for the third base job as well as players Gary Carter for catcher & Warren Cromarte in the outfield. 

On September 5th, Hunt was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis: He got to finish his out his career in his hometown of St. Louis playing in 12 games that September. 

Career Stats: In his 12-year career Hunt batted .273 with 1439 hits 39 HRs 223 doubles 23 triples 745 runs scored a .368 on base % & 370 RBIs in 1483 games played. He was also one of the most difficult batters to strike out, fanning 382 times in 5235 at-bats.

Upon his retirement, his 243 Hit by pitches were a MLB career record, but since he has fallen to sixth on the all time list. 

Hunt played in 1260 games at second base (67th all time) posting a .976 fielding % turning 685 double plays with 156 errors in 6402 chances. His 2734 put outs & 3512 assists are both 72nd most all time for second baseman. He also played in 158 games at third & two games at short. 

Quotes- Ron Hunt: “Some people give their bodies to science; I give mine to baseball”. Hunt insisted that he never deliberately got hit by a pitch. 

On occasion, he was said to have worn a wetsuit underneath his uniform to ease the pain from being hit by a pitch. 

Retirement: After his playing days he owned a liquor store, then a sporting goods store in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville. He also raised cattle & worked his farm well into his eighties. 

Starting in 1985 he ran The Ron Hunt Baseball Association, a non-profit instructional league for teens, He would run an annual fund raiser in New York for many years after he started the school. 

Honors: Hunt returned to the Mets for the closing ceremonies of Shea Stadium in 2008.

Health Issues & Help from Bret Saberhagen: Hunt began to suffer what seemed like Parkinson's disease. And although the two players played two decades apart, they were connected with the help of Mets media man Jay Horowitz & Hunt's daughter Tracy.  But with the help of former Met Bret Saberhagen & his organization SabesWings, doctors determined his condition stemmed from head trauma. 

The man who led the league in hit by pitches was hit in the head many times, but the worse blow came from a throw that hit him in the back of the head in 1969 landing him in the hospital. Saberhagen arranged for Hunt to have seven weeks of holistic treatment in Hollywood, Florida. His condition improved & the 81-year-old Hunt gave up his wheelchair for a cane.