Gil Hodges

Gilbert Raymond Hodges (born Hodge; April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his 18-year career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Born in Princeton, Indiana, the son of a coal miner, he grew up in Petersburg, Indiana, where he was a four-sport athlete in high school, and went on to attend Saint Joseph's College, where he played baseball and basketball. He dropped out to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, making his MLB debut at age 19 before joining the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Serving in combat as an anti-aircraft gunner during the battles of Tinian and Okinawa in the Pacific Theatre, he received the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for valor device. After his discharge, Hodges returned to the Dodgers' organization. An eight-time All-Star, he anchored the infield through six pennant winners and two World Series titles. He later managed the New York Mets to their first World Series championship in 1969. Hodges died suddenly on April 2, 1972, two days short of his 48th birthday. Fifty years later, in 2022, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.