Gil Returns Home

Former Dodger first baseman Gil Hodges was so famously popular with Brooklyn fans that he was never booed at old Ebbets Field. After being affiliated with the Dodgers for 19 years, the fledgling Mets brought Hodges back to New York City. Many at the time speculated that Hodges would serve an apprenticeship under legendary skipper Casey Stengel, who said Hodges had “great leadership qualities.” Hodges retired midway through the 1963 season to become the manager of the Washington Senators, but returned to take over the Mets in 1968. “I got a pretty good idea of what the job of managing a New York club is like not too long ago,” said Hodges in 1968.