Ron Hunt, the first player in New York Mets history to start an All-Star Game, has died at 85.
The Mets announced Hunt’s death on July 17, 2026, calling him a franchise legend and noting that he was with the team from 1963 through 1966. He was the first Met to start an All-Star Game, a milestone that still stands out in the club’s early history.
Hunt spent the first four seasons of his 12-year major league career in New York, where he mostly played second base. That was the spot that earned him National League All-Star selections in 1964 and 1966.
After leaving the Mets, Hunt’s career took him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967, the San Francisco Giants from 1968-70, the Montreal Expos from 1971-74 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974.
He was never known as a power hitter, but he did launch 10 of his 39 career home runs as a rookie in 1963. More than anything, Hunt became famous for absorbing pitches. He led his league in hit-by-pitches seven times, including an eye-popping 50 in 1971, and his 243 career beanings rank sixth all-time.
“Some folks give their bodies to science,” Hunt once said. “I gave mine to baseball.”
Hunt finished with a .273/.368/.347 slash line across 1,483 major league games.
Born in St. Louis, he signed with the Milwaukee Braves out of high school and spent four seasons in their farm system, reaching Double-A before a Mets scout brought him into the league’s first-year franchise. He was pushed straight to the majors and quickly became one of the best players on a team that struggled mightily in those early years.
The New York Post reported in 2019 that Hunt had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. According to longtime Mets public relations director Jay Horwitz, Hunt had been suffering from multiple illnesses.
According to author Bill Sullivan, Hunt later returned to his farm in Wentzville, Missouri, where he opened liquor and sporting goods stores and did some farming. In 1987, he started the Ron Hunt Eagles Baseball Association for local youth.
Hunt is survived by his wife Jackie, daughter Tracy and son Ron Jr.
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