Remembering Ron Hodges: 1973 N.L. Champion Mets Reserve Catcher (1973 - 1983)

Ronald Wray Hodges was born on June 22, 1949, in the rural town of Rocky Mount, Virginia. He was one of nine children to Daisy & Anthony Hodges. Although he shared the same name, he was not related to Gil Hodges in any way

The six-foot one catcher attended Appalachian State University where he was drafted three different times. First by the Baltimore Orioles (1970) then the Kansas City Royals & Atlanta Braves, (1971) but didn’t sign with any of those teams. 

In 1972 the Mets offered him a bonus & he did sign, as a second-round draft pick. 

Hodges spent the season at A Ball Pompano Beach bashing 15 HRs with 15 doubles & 48 RBIs in 112 games.

In 1973 Hodges was playing at AA Memphis, hitting only .173 but all of a sudden, things changed very quickly. In June he was called up to the Mets big league squad when catchers' Jerry Grote & Jerry May went down with injuries. Hodges was needed to help back up Duffy Dyer, who had taken over the main catcher's job. 

1973 Mets Pennant Season: Hodges made his Mets debut on June 13th, 1973, at Shea Stadium in a 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.

He was behind the plate catching Tom Seaver’s eighth victory of Seaver's 1973 Cy Young season. 

Quotes- Tom Seaver: " He was very composed back there. I shook him off maybe 25% of the time".

In the 7th inning Hodges got his first career hit, a single off the Giants Tom Bradley.

Hodges caught the next game as well, helping Jon Matlack to a victory 5-2 victory of the San Diego Padres. He collected another hit & drove in his first career run with a 4th inning sac fly. 

Trivia: Mets manager Yogi Berra, appointed Mets relief pitcher Phil Hennigan to watch over Hodges, show him around the big city & make sure he got to the ballpark on time. In his first season Hodges lived at the Travellers hotel near LaGuardia Airport.

Hodges would hit safely in seventeen of his first twenty-two games. He found himself batting over .300 into July after his first fifteen games. He also had three multi-RBI games in that time.

On June 27th, in the first game of a double header at Shea against the Phillies, during the Mets seven run 1stinning he added a two-run single in the eventual 7-6 win. The next day he drove in two more runs as the Phillies beat the Mets 11-4.

You Gotta Believe: The 1973 Mets were in last place in late August battling five teams in a division that no one could dominate. As the Mets main position player got healthy the team took Tug McGraw's rally cry "You Gotta Believe" & went 23-9 from August 27th to the end of the regular season.

Jerry Grote was back in the line up in August & Hodges saw less playing time. Hodges had
received good reviews from the pitching staff and remained with the team. 

By mid-September the Mets were the hottest team in baseball. Although they were in fourth place in the NL East, they were just 2.5 games back of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets & Pirates would play five straight games against each other starting on September 17th. The Mets dropped the first game then went on a seen game win streak taking over the division.

On September 18th, in a crucial game at three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh the Mets came back from a 4-1 deficit in the 9th inning. After Felix Millan tripled home two runs, Hodges singled scoring Millan with the games tying run. The Mets went on to win the game 6-5. 

Ball on the Wall Game: On September 20th, the Mets were still a half game behind the Pirates.

In the top of the 13th, with one out & the game tied at 3-3, Ritchie Zisk singled off the Mets Ray Sadecki.  Sadecki got the second out then one of the most famous plays in Mets history took place with Hodges in the middle of it all. 

Dave Augustine lined a shot over the head of left fielder Cleon Jones. The ball hit off the top of the wall but instead of going over the wall for a HR it bounced back into Jones' glove. Cleone grabbed it, turned & threw a perfect relay to short stop Wayne Garrett.

Garrett turned then then threw a perfect bullet to Hodges at the plate. Hodges blocked the plate perfectly & tagged Ritchie Zisk who was trying to score from first base for the third out. It was an exciting play that electrified the team & the Shea fans.

In the bottom of the inning the Pirates Luke Walker walked John Milner & pinch hitter Ken
Boswell. Dave Giusti was brought into pitch. With two on & one out Hodges came to bat. He singled into left field bringing home John Milner with the walk off winning run.

The game is considered one of the key points to the 1973 Mets pennant season & is known as “the ball on the wall” game. Young Hodges, who was in the minor leagues three months earlier, was one of the big heroes of the historic night.

In 1973, Hodges played in 45 games batting .260 (33-145) with one HR, two doubles eleven walks & 18 RBIs. He threw out 43% of the base runners trying to steal, posting a .992 fielding percentage, making only two errors.

1973 Post Season-World Series: Hodges did make the Mets' postseason roster but did not play in the NLCS win over the Cincinnati Reds. He got into one game of the World Series loss to the Oakland A's. 

In Game #1 at Oakland, he came to bat as pinch hitter in the 9th inning drawing a walk off Rollie Fingers. He represented the tying run on base with one out. Ted Martinez came in to pinch run for Hodges. The A's went with Darold Knowles & he got pinch hitter Jim Beauchamp to pop up & Wayne Garrett to fly out, as the Mets lost the Series opener 2-1.

After the Pennant: Hodges remained a backup catcher with the Mets for the next decade. He was there from the 1973 Pennant, through the down years when Shea Stadium became known as "Grant’s tomb". 

Hodges was also there for the resurgence of the Mets in the mid-eighties Dwight Gooden & Keith Hernandez’ squad. Over the years he averaged getting into 50 plus games each season, backing up catchers Jerry Grote, Duffy Dyer, John Stearns, Alex Trevino & Mike Fitzgerald.

 1974: Hodges was back on the club as a backup catcher seeing action in 59 games behind Jerry Grote (97 games) & Duffy Dyer (63 games). The Mets would have a disappointing year finishing up in fifth place.

On April 28th, in the top of the 8th inning of a tied game with the Giants in San Francisco, Hodges hit a two run HR off Randy Moffit which ended up being the game winning runs.

He would hit just four HRs on the year, the net two coming in losing efforts. On August 26th he hit
a solo HR off the Astros J.R. Richard in a 5-4 Mets win at Shea Stadium.

On he season, Hodges hit .221 with 4 HRs 4 doubles & 14 RBIs. Behind the plate he had one of his worst years making 12 errors, the only time he would have double figures in errors until 1983. Hodges posted the lowest fielding % of his career (.959%) & threw out 20% of would-be base stealers. 

1975: Ron spent most of the 1975 season at AAA Tidewater, playing in only nine games with the Mets on the big-league level.

Walk Off HR: On September 20th, Hodges game in to replace catcher Jerry Grote in the 6th inning of a game against Philadelphia. In the 9th inning the Mets Rick Baldwin blew a Mets two run Mets lead, sending the game to extra innings. With Ed Kranepool on first & two outs, Hodges hit a two-run walk off HR off the Phillies Gene Garber giving the Mets the 9-7 walk off win.

The next day Ron hit another HR in a 4-2 loss. 

1976: In the bicentennial year, Ron had one of his best seasons. This would be the Mets last winning season until 1984 as they entered their worst years since their early years. The Mets would finish third going 86-76 under new manager Joe Frazier.

In April Hodges batted .471 going 8-17, driving in six runs in seven games. On April 17th, in a Mets 17-1 win at Pittsburgh, Ron had a season high three hit game, with a two-run single off Larry Demry in the 5th inning.

On April 26th his two-run single off Atlanta's Dick Ruthven led the Mets to a 3-2 win over the Braves. 

In July Ron got a chance to play in 16 games, driving in 12 runs during that period, playing a solid defense as well. 

On July 2nd, he broke up a 6th inning tie with the Cubs at Shea Stadium, with an RBI single which turned out to be the games winning run in the 2-1 win. The next day his 7th inning RBI double tied up a game, the Mets eventually won on Mike Vail's walk off hit.

On July 10th the Mets opened a four-game series in Atlanta, Hodges drove in a run in each game, hitting HRs in back-to-back games collecting six RBIs in the series split.

On August 3rd, Hodges 7th inning RBI double off the Expos Chip Lang gave the Mets an insurance run in their 9-8 win at Shea Stadium. He only played in two games in September, finishing the year hitting .226 with 4 HRs 6 doubles & 24 RBIs in 56 games.

1977: In the dark year of 1977 the Mets traded Tom Seaver away on the Midnight Massacre. Joe Torre's Mets finished in last place & there wasn't much excitement. Young John Stearns had now become the Mets main catcher with Hodges as his back up. 

Hodges batted .265 with a HR four doubles & five RBIs playing in 66 games.

Behind the plate he posted a .992 fielding percentage, throwing out 34% of would-be base stealers. He increased his percentage in throwing out base runners each season from then on, reaching a career high 43% by 1980.

1978: On April 22nd, Hodges helped New York win a 3-2 game at Wrigley Field with an 8th inning two run single off the Cubs Rick Reuschel.

On May 27th, Ron hit one of his two career triples, coming in the vast Astrodome off J.R. Richard in a 9-7 Mets win. 

On the year he batted .255 with four doubles, a triple & seven RBIs in 47 games. He posted a .982 fielding % & thew out 36% of runners trying to steal, above the league average.

1979: This year his average fell to a measly .163 (14-86) driving in five runs in 59 games played as the Mets finished last again. 

1980: The Payson family sold the team to the new Wilpon Doubleday ownership & things slowly began to change over time. 

Walk Off Hits: On May 5th, the Mets & Reds were tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Short time Met Jose Cardenal led off with a base hit. With one on & one out, manager Joe Torre sent in Hodges to pinch hit against Dog Bair. He doubled to left field scoring the game winning walk off run.

On June 7th, the Mets entered the bottom of the 11th inning down 5-4 to the reigning World Champion Pirates. Joel Youngblood tied up the game at five with an RBI double. Hodges came in to pinch hit & delivered with a single off Bert Blyleven for another walk off hit.

Hodges improved to a .238 average that year with two doubles & five RBIs. It was the third straight season he did not hit a HR in just under 300 at bats. 

1981 Strike Season: Hodges HR drought was finally over when in the seventh game of the season he hit a HR against the Montreal Expos at Shea Stadium in a 4-3 Mets loss.

When the Players Strike happened, he packed up his car & drove back to his hometown in Virginia & taught as a middle school substitute teacher.

In the short season he hit over .300 (43 at bats) driving in six runs in 35 games. That season he also had some success being used as a pinch hitter, getting five pinch hits in the month of September.

Team Drama: On a road trip to Montreal, he & Mets pitcher Dyar Miller were suspended.

without pay for three days by Mets' manager Joe Torre. 

The two had been drinking in the bar of the hotel where the Mets were staying. Coach Chuck Cottier reminded them they were violating a club rule of no patronizing a bar in a hotel where the team was staying.  According to a statement issued by the team, the two players refused to leave the bar. 

Quotes- Ron Hodges: ''I guess a clean record doesn't count; I've never been involved in this kind of thing before. The more I think about it, the madder I get.''

1982: This season, Joe Torre was gone & the new manager was George Bamberger.  Bamberger gave Hodges a chance to play more often as he became one of "Bambi's Bandits". Yogi Berra & Bamberger were Hodges two favorite managers to play for.

Hodges had career highs in HRs (5) doubles (12) runs scored (26) & RBIs (27) playing in 80 games overall. Hodges also had multi-RBI games in each of the first three months.

On April 21st, his second game of the year, Ron hit a two-run single in the Mets 7-4 win over the Cubs at Shea.

On May 9th he hit his first HR of the season, a two-run shot coming off the Giants Alan Fowlkes in a 6-5 win at Shea Stadium, thanks to a Rusty Staub pinch hit walk off HR.

In early June he hit HRs in back-to-back games he played in for the second time in his career. The first, a three-run shot off the Reds Frank Pastore in a 6-3 win at Cincinnati. The next HR was a solo shot off the Cardinals Steve Mura in a 6-2 Met win.

Grand Slam HR: On September 8th Hodges hit his only career grand slam, it came off the Pirates Grant Jackson in a 9-1 Mets victory at Pittsburgh. Hodges had had a multi-RBI game the previous game & would add another the next week.

That year he threw out 31% of would-be base stealers, posting a .980 fielding % with eight errors in 405 chances. The Mets won just 65 games (65-97).

1983: In this big season of change for the Mets, Hodges saw the most playing time of his career, seeing action in 96 games. After ten years, it seemed he was finally the team’s main catcher, ahead of Junior Ortiz, Ron Reynolds & Mike Fitzgerald. 

The Return of Tom Seaver: In 1983 Tom Seaver returned to New York, on Opening Day, he requested his old teammate Hodges, catch his first game back. That day Seaver shut out Steve Carlton & the Phillies for six innings in a 2-0 Mets win.

That season George Bamberger abandon his manager's job after 46 games & coach Frank Howard was named the Mets skipper. The Mets finished last again, but they would finish either first or second every year for the next decade. In that 1983 season the Mets acquired Keith Hernandez, saw Darryl Strawberry win the Rookie of the Year Award & were ready to bring up a bunch of good young player, as things got better. 

Ron struggled at the plate, trying to stay above the .200 mark until late June. On June 20th in the second game of a double header with the Cardinals, Hodges drew four walks in the 6-4 Mets win. He would collect ten walks in eight games closing out the month.

That August he batted .362 putting up an .883 OPS while driving in seven runs. He closed out the final month of the season batting .346 with a .933 OPS.

In 110 games, Hodges hit .260 & matched his career high 12 doubles. He drew 49 walks posting a .358 on base percentage, while driving in 21 runs. Behind the plate he made 12 errors posting a .971fielding % while throwing out 28% of would-be base stealers.

1984: Hodges was thrilled to be back on a winning ball club, as the Mets fought for the NL East title, the way his career had started out. This year the veteran Hodges was the backup catcher to young Mike Fitzgerald playing for manager Davey Johnson.

On July 2nd, Ron was behind the plate at Shea Stadium, catching the Mets teen age phenom pitcher Dwight Gooden, as Doctor K beat former Met, Mike Scott 4-2 in a game with the Astros.

On July 12th, Hodges hit his last career HR helping New York to an 8-6 win over the Braves in Atlanta. 

Final Mets Games: On September 25th Hodges caught his last game, a 6-4 Mets win that began with Ron Darling on the mound getting relieved by Ed Lynch. 

On September 30th in Montreal, which was the last game of the season, he made his last appearance, striking out to Jeff Reardon as a pinch hitter in in a 5-4 loss.

Career Stats: In his 12-year career Hodges played in 666 games, batting .240 with 342 hits 56 doubles, two triples 19 HRs & 147 RBIs. He struck out 217 times, walked 224 times giving him a .342 on base & .663 OPS.

He caught 445 behind the plate (sixth most in Mets history) throwing out 31% of would-be base stealers. He posted a .978 fielding % making 52 errors in 2358 chances.

Defensively he had 2095 putouts making 52 errors in 445 games (3326 innings) posting a .978 fielding percentage, throwing out 31% of base runners attempting to steal.

Retirement: After baseball Hodges sold real estate in Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia for thirty years. 

Family: He & his wife Peggy had three sons. They lived on Long Island during his playing days & then moved back to his hometown of Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Passing: On November 24th, 2023, Ron passed away after a brief illness, he was 74 years old.