Joan Hodges, widow of Mets Hall of Famer Gil Hodges, dies at 95
Gil Hodges gets a kiss from his wife Joan after the New York Mets won the World Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens on October 16, 1969. Credit: Newsday/Stan Wolfson
Joan Hodges, the widow of former Mets Hall of Fame manager Gil Hodges, died Saturday night at the age of 95 after a long illness, the team announced on Sunday.
A moment of silence was held at Citi Field before the Mets' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Gil Hodges, who died in 1972 at the age of 47, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July after being elected in December 2021.
Mets president Sandy Alderson, in a statement released by the team, said: “We are thankful that Joan was able to see Gil inducted into the Hall of Fame in July. That meant so much to her and the entire Mets and Hodges family. She was a true baseball fan and still followed her two favorite teams, the Mets and Dodgers. We send our condolences to her daughters, Irene and Cindy, her son Gil Jr. and the rest of the Hodges family.”
Gil Hodges, a slugging first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers and later the World Series-winning manager of the 1969 Mets, was elected to the Hall of Fame on Dec. 5, 2021.
On that night, the Hodges family received a call from Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall of Fame’s chairman of the board. Daughter Irene took the call.
“I spoke to Jane, crying,” Irene said the next day in a news conference. “ ‘I just want to ask you, my Mom is 95 and she is right here with me. Can you please tell her yourself, so she can hear it from you?’
“Jane said, ‘Of course.’ I gave my mother the phone. When I handed her the phone, she said, ‘Who is it?’ I said, ‘Mommy, they want to tell you Daddy is voted into the Hall of Fame.’ She put her hands on her chest and said, ‘Really? He really did it. Oh, Gil, I’m so happy.’ She spoke to ... [Forbes Clark] on the phone and handed me the phone. She was thrilled.”
Irene gave the speech when her father was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on July 24. Joan was unable to attend.
“Today I am especially happy for my mother,” Irene said.
Joan Hodges still lived in the same Brooklyn home she and Gil shared when he played for the Dodgers. The Mets honored his Hall of Fame election with a ceremony on April 16.
Mets broadcaster and historian Howie Rose posted on Twitter: “So sorry to hear of the passing of Joan Hodges. Gil’s wife was 10 days shy of her 96th birthday, and thankfully she lived to see her husband take his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. She treated the players like family and was beloved by them as well. RIP.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers posted on Twitter: “The Dodgers mourn the passing of Joan Hodges, widow of Gil Hodges, who passed away at 95 years old. Our thoughts are with the Hodges family during this difficult time.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
