Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958
"Gil Hodges was a great baseball player and one of the finest mangers in the history of baseball," said Mayor Giuliani. "Not only did he manage the underdog '69 Miracle Mets he achieved a career in which he compiled 370 home runs, three Golden Glove awards and seven World Series appearances; Gil proved himself both on and off the field. I, along with thousands of baseball fans around the country, believe Gil's induction is long overdue and encourage the Baseball Writers' Association of America to support Gil's induction into the Hall of Fame in 2000."
The Mayor wished the Mets all the best and said, "I look forward to another exciting season in baseball and continue to root for the ultimate baseball thrill in New York City - a subway series."
The 1969 baseball season was capped off by the amazing turnaround of the Miracle Mets, engineered by manager Gil Hodges. At 100-1 odds in the pre-season, the long shot New York Mets hovered near the top of their division during the regular season and eventually blew past the Chicago Cubs to claim the National League East, and finished the season as World Series Champions.
Prior to his managerial career, Gil Hodges was a consistent slugger for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Following a brief one game season in 1943, Hodges was drafted into the U.S. Marines for two years during World War II. In 1947 he returned to the men in blue and continued his steady performance through the team's move to Los Angeles in 1958. Hodges played for 18 seasons through 1963 and then managed from 1964 - 1971.
Following three seasons with the New York Mets, he compiled career totals of 370 home runs, won three Gold Glove awards, and played in seven World Series. Just prior to the 1972 season his managerial career was tragically cut short when he suffered a fatal heart attack while playing golf.