Ron Hunt, the hard-nosed second baseman who became the first New York Met to start in an All-Star Game, died Wednesday at age 85.
Hunt, who set a Modern Era record with 50 hit-by-pitches in the 1971 season, had been in hospice care for a month.
Hunt played for five teams during his major league career, including time with the Mets (1963-66), Los Angeles Dodgers (1967), San Francisco Giants (1968-70), Montreal Expos (1971-74) and St. Louis Cardinals (1974). He collected 1,429 career hits across 12 seasons and was known for his tenacity.
“No one played the game harder than Ron Hunt, our first All-Star,” vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz wrote on Medium on July 4. “He would do anything to help win a game.”
Perhaps best known for his penchant for wearing a pitch, the two-time All-Star was plunked 243 times in his career, sixth most in MLB history.
“Some folks give their bodies to science,” Hunt famously said. “I gave mine to baseball.”
Born Feb. 23, 1941, in St. Louis, Hunt signed with the Milwaukee Braves out of high school after standout prep careers in baseball and football. The expansion Mets purchased his contract following their inaugural 1962 season and made him their starting second baseman, where he made his major league debut in 1963.
Hunt had 145 hits, 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs that season, finishing runner-up to 22-year-old Reds star Pete Rose for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. That was statistically the best season of Hunt’s career, but he continued to endear himself to fans and teammates with his no-nonsense approach to the game.
Starting in the 1964 Midsummer Classic, he singled in his first at-bat for the National League at his home field, Shea Stadium.
Hunt’s fearless play in the batter’s box and on the field earned him a career 32.7 bWAR. It also resulted in 16 baseball-related surgeries and might have contributed to the onset of Parkinson’s disease, which affected him in his later years.
Hunt is survived by his wife, Jackie; his daughter, Tracy; and son, Ron Jr.
