Ron Hodges passed away on Nov. 24, 2023. Hodges played in the Valley Baseball League for the Harrisonburg Turks and later played in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets.
During the 1970 season with the Turks, Hodges hit .304 in 168 at-bats to finish 12th in the VBL in batting average.
Hodges attended Appalachian State University and was drafted three times but then the Mets offered a small bonus to select him in the free agent draft on January 12, 1972. He was called up to the Major Leagues in 1973 where he played for the Mets until retirement in 1984.
Hodges played in the 1973 World Series where the Mets lost to Oakland in seven games. Hodges also had the distinction of being the Mets’ Opening Day catcher in 1983, which marked the return of Tom Seaver after a five-year stint with the Reds. Throwing to Hodges, Seaver logged six scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and five strikeouts against the Phillies.
Upon retirement from baseball, he returned home to Rocky Mount, Va., to work as a realtor for Meadow Spring Land and Realty (now Mountain to Lake Realty) until retirement.
Hodges was inducted into the Appalachian State University Hall of Fame in 1982, the Roanoke Salem Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, and Hall of Fame for Franklin County High School in 2018.