Gomer Hodge

Harold Morris "Gomer" Hodge (April 3, 1944 – May 13, 2007) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He appeared in 80 Major League Baseball games as a pinch hitter, third baseman and first baseman for the Cleveland Indians in 1971. The switch-hitting Hodge threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

Hodge spent eight seasons in the Cleveland farm system before making the MLB Indians' 1971 roster out of spring training. In his MLB debut on April 6, he singled to shortstop as a pinch hitter off Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers and drove in a run.^[1] Two days later, with the Indians down 2–0 against the Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Stadium, he pinch hit for second baseman Eddie Leon in the eighth inning, doubled off Sonny Siebert and later scored the Tribe's first run of the game. Hodge replaced Leon in the field and came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two out and runners on second and third, Hodge singled to centerfield off Boston relief pitcher Ken Tatum to plate both runners and give Cleveland a walk-off, 3–2 win.^[2] Then, on April 11, Hodge pinch hit again, and, facing Tatum, he doubled for his fourth consecutive MLB hit to drive in another run.^[3] He would collect only 13 more hits for the entire season, however, as he batted only .205 with one home run and nine runs batted in.

His minor league playing career extended over 12 seasons, through 1976, and he later managed and served as a batting instructor in the minor league organizations of the Indians, Montreal Expos and Red Sox through 2002. Gomer Hodge died May 13, 2007, from Lou Gehrig's Disease.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference