Ron Hunt

Ronald Kenneth (Ron) Hunt (born February 23, 1941) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals. He batted and threw right-handed.

In 1971 Hunt set a single-season record for being hit by more pitches (50) than any player since 1900.

Hunt was born in St. Louis on February 23, 1941. He graduated from Ritenour High School in Breckenridge Hills, Missouri, where he played football and baseball.

After graduating, he signed with the Milwaukee Braves, with whom he spent four years in the minor leagues. The Mets purchased his contract in October 1962 and added him to the major league roster.

Hunt broke into the major leagues in 1963 as the Mets' regular second baseman, batting .272 with 10 home runs, which would be his career high, and 42 runs batted in, which he would tie in 1964. Hunt had been the bullpen catcher until he approached manager Casey Stengel and asked to be sent to the minor leagues to play second base, if the Mets were not going to play him. Stengel responded by making Hunt the second baseman.

That year, he also finished runner-up to Pete Rose for the National League Rookie of the Year honors. In something that would highlight his career, Stengel had offered a bonus to players willing to be hit by pitches (HBP) if it won a game. Hunt was hit by pitches 13 times that year.

In 1964 he batted .303 and became the Mets' first-ever starting All-Star representative. The game was played in Hunt's home ballpark, the newly opened Shea Stadium. He got one hit in three at bats in the game. He was also an NL All-Star representative in 1966. Hunt had no hits in one official at bat, but had a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th inning that moved Tim McCarver to second base to set up the winning run when Maury Wills' single drove McCarver home for the NL win. He was hit by 11 pitches that year.

Hunt was injured in 1965, and played in only 57 games. He was hit by pitches 6 times, the only time in his twelve year career he was not hit by at least 10 pitches. In 1966, Hunt's last year with the Mets, he had a .288 batting average, scored 63 runs, and was hit by 11 pitches. In November 1966, Hunt and Jim Hickman were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. After batting .263 during the 1967 season, a year in which he was injured again, and being hit by 10 pitches, Hunt was traded with Nate Oliver to the San Francisco Giants for Tom Haller and Frank Kasheta.