NEW YORK -- Minutes before their home opener against the Nationals, the Mets remembered Gil Hodges, who would have turned 95 on Thursday. His son, Gil Hodges Jr., threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Mets icon Ed Kranepool. 

It’s fitting that the younger Hodges threw out the first pitch, because it was 50 years ago this year that the Mets upset the Orioles in the World Series -- led by his father, who was the manager.

Hodges Jr. is amazed that his father, who passed away in 1972, is still celebrated and remembered so vividly after all these years.

“I see people that speak to me like they had dinner with him a month ago,” Hodges Jr. said. “It’s mind-boggling. It’s the only words I can say. They speak about him. They talk about him. It’s not only people in their 70s and up, their children and their grandchildren have the stories passed down to them. It’s just amazing.”   

Hodges Jr. was 19 when the Miracle Mets captured the hearts of New York, and he wasn’t surprised by the success the Mets had under his father. Before Hodges Sr. signed on with the Mets, his son saw him work his magic with the Senators. 

“I was with him in Washington, where he started his managerial career, and the Senators improved every year,” Hodges Jr. said. “So it was always an understanding that he loved the game, and he knew a lot about the game. He had the ability to convey that to his team. I think, when he brought that [to New York], a lot of these guys were young and they were very receptive to learning and understanding the game. The players took that to the field.”     

Kranepool, who played on that ’69 team, called Hodges an inspirational leader who got the most out of his players.

“You have to convince players that they are going to enjoy playing out there in a platoon situation. Gil loved to platoon,” Kranepool said. “He thought that was in everybody’s best interest and the ballclub’s best interest. There was no 'I' in team. Gil believed in a team concept, and we were strong because we were a team.”

Hodges Jr. believes his father didn’t manage long enough to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he feels he should be honored for what he did as a player. During his career with the Dodgers and Mets, the elder Hodges was an eight-time All-Star, and he had a career batting average of .273 with 370 home runs, 1,274 RBIs and a 44.8 WAR.

Hodges Jr. doesn’t plan on traveling or talking to people about his father’s career. His statistics stand on their own.          

“I think he deserves to be in [the Baseball Hall of Fame] based on the golden era period. That’s basically it,” he said. “He is in my Hall of Fame, so I would want this to happen more for my mom than anything else. Just for her to see it. She has done a lot to keep his name out there.”