Former MLB infielder Ron Hunt passed away on July 15th of complications of Parkinson's Disease. He was 85.
His passing was expected after it was announced he was in hospice care earlier this month.
Hunt was best known for his ability to get hit by pitches and would lead the NL in this category in the final seven seasons of his 12-year MLB career.
A native of St. Louis, Hunt signed with the Milwaukee Braves prior to the 1959 season. After four seasons in the minor leagues, the Braves sold Hunt's contract to the New York Mets where he would become the fledgling team's first star player.
In 1963, Hunt finished runner up to Pete Rose in NL Rookie of the Year balloting hitting .273 with a career best 10 HR along with 42 RBI.
The following season, Hunt became the first Met to ever be elected to the NL All-Star Team as its second baseman besting Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski. Hunt would also earn a trip to the All-Star Game in 1966.
However, following that season the Mets would trade Hunt along with outfielder Jim Hickman to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith, the latter of whom would never play a big-league game in a Mets uniform.
Hunt only played one season with the Dodgers before being traded yet again to the San Francisco Giants along with fellow infielder Nate Oliver in exchange for catcher Tom Haller. It was while wearing a Giants uniform when Hunt began to find his niche as a big-league player - getting hit by pitches. In each of his three seasons in San Francisco, Hunt would lead the NL in this category.
Prior to the 1971 season, the Giants traded Hunt to the Montreal Expos for first baseman Dave McDonald. Curiously, the Expos purchased McDonald back from the Giants during spring training.
The trade would prove a double-edged sword. In 1971, the Giants would win the NL West thus depriving Hunt of a post-season opportunity. Nevertheless, Hunt had a remarkable inaugural season in Montreal setting a MLB record when he was hit by a pitch 50 times that season breaking a record set by Hughie Jennings for the old Baltimore Orioles in 1896. However, years later, researchers discovered that Jennings had been hit by a pitch two additional times that season thus giving the record back to him.
Nevertheless, it was a remarkable achievement for Hunt. The closest anyone has come in the modern era to being hit that many times in a season was when Don Baylor got plunked 35 times for the AL champion Boston Red Sox in 1986.
Hunt remained with the Expos until he was released late in the season and was picked up on waivers by his hometown Cardinals. He would only play 12 games with the Redbirds before calling it a career. In 12 MLB seasons, Hunt collected 1429 hits for a lifetime batting average of .273 with 39 HR and 370 RBI while being hit by pitch 243 times which is 6th on MLB's all-time list.
Several players would surpass Hunt's career total - Jason Kendall (254), Don Baylor (267) and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (285). Jennings has the all-time record with 287 with fellow 19th Century player Tommy Tucker ranking third at 272 HBP.
To put Hunt's achievements into perspective, Kansas City Royals outfielder Starling Marte leads active players being hit by pitch at 169. After Marte, it is Boston Red Sox first baseman Wilson Contreras with 143 HBP followed by San Diego Padres catcher Ty France who is tied with five other former players at 134 HBP.
Unfortunately for Hunt, some of those HBP were in the head. Coupled with several baserunning collisions, it is believed to have contributed to the onset of Parkinson's.
Yet Hunt took it all with good humor. He famously said, "A lot of people give their body to science. I gave mine to baseball."
It is a fitting epitaph. R.I.P.
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