Particle.news
Download on the App Store
13 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

Ron Hunt, First Met to Start an All‑Star Game, Dies at 85

His death highlights a career defined by crowding the plate, a modern-era single-season hit-by-pitch mark, later health struggles tied to repeated injuries.

Image
Image
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Hank Aaron of the Braves sliding into a base while Mets' Ron Hunt avoids him, Image 2 shows Former New York Mets second baseman Ron Hunt laughing while sitting in a red Shea Stadium seat

Overview

  • The New York Mets announced on July 17, 2026, that Ron Hunt died in St. Louis at age 85 after a period in hospice while battling multiple illnesses.
  • Hunt spent 12 major-league seasons with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Expos and Cardinals and was the first player in Mets history to start an All‑Star Game in 1964.
  • He retired with 243 career hit-by-pitches and was hit 50 times for the Expos in 1971, a modern-era single-season high that underscored his habit of crowding the plate to get on base.
  • Coverage links Hunt’s hard‑nosed style to many baseball-related surgeries and later medical problems, including reported Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses that affected his final years.
  • Hunt was honored by the Montreal Expos, founded the Ron Hunt Eagles youth program, and is survived by his wife Jackie, daughter Tracy and son Ron Jr.