Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers 1949 Bowman Reprint Baseball Card

Gil Hodges (April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the major leagues' outstanding first baseman in the 1950s, withteammate Duke Snider being the only player to have more home runs or runs batted in during the decade. His 370 career home runs set a National League record for right-handed hitters, and briefly ranked tenth in major league history; he held the NL record for career grand slams from 1957 to 1974. He anchored the infield on six pennant winners, and remains one of the most beloved and admired players in team history. A sterling defensive player, he won the first three Gold Glove Awards and led the NL in double plays four times and in putouts, assists and fielding percentage three times each. He ranked second in NL history with 1281 assists and 1614 double plays when his career ended, and was also among the league career leaders in games (6th, 1908) and total chances (10th, 16,751) at first base. He managed the New York Mets to the 1969 World Series title, one of the greatest upsets in Series history, before his sudden and untimely death at age 47.

Gil Hodges Bowman 1949 Reprint Baseball Card

”I can't very well tell my batters don't hit it to him. Wherever they hit it, he's there anyway.”

-- Gilbert Hodges, on Willie Mays