Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers legend Gil Hodges was among the former players elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Era Committee.
Hodges spent all but two of his 18 seasons with the Dodgers franchise, batting .274/.360/.488 with 1,884 hits, 361 home runs, 1,254 RBI and 1,088 runs scored. He earned eight All-Star selections, three Gold Glove Awards and helped the organization win two World Series championships (1955, 1959).
“When you mention all-time greats in Dodger history, Gil Hodges is among the finest to ever don Dodger Blue,” president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “We are thrilled that he will finally take his place in Cooperstown alongside the games greats and look forward to honoring him next year.”
Kasten’s comments strongly hint at the Dodgers retiring Hodges’ No. 14 during the 2022 season. The team has an unofficial policy of only doing so for players in the Hall of Fame, though Jim Gilliam was an exception after his sudden death in 1978.
If Hodges’ jersey number is retired as expected, he would be the first Dodgers player to be honored in this fashion since Don Sutton’s No. 20 was immortalized on Aug. 14, 1998. Kiké Hernandez would finish as the last player to wear No. 14 for the Dodgers.
Other Dodgers to have their numbers retired include Pee Wee Reese (1), Tommy Lasorda (2), Duke Snider (4), Gilliam (19), Walter Alston (24), Sandy Koufax (32), Roy Campanella (39), Jackie Robinson (42) and Don Drysdale (53).
The Dodger Stadium Ring of Honor also recognizes legendary broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín. Scully retired at the end of the 2016 season and Jarrín previously announced that the 2022 campaign will be his final in the booth.
Scully excited to see Hodges voted into Baseball Hall of Fame
A longtime proponent of Hodges being voted into the Hall of Fame, Scully was delighted by the news of his election.
Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso and Tony Oliva were among the other selections from a 10-person ballot comprised of candidates whose primary contributions to the game came during the 1950-69 seasons. Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil were also elected to the Hall of Fame by the Early Baseball Era Committee.
The aforementioned names will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 by any electees who emerge from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, which will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
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