Ron Hunt, the first player in New York Mets history to start an All-Star Game, has died. He was 85.
The Mets announced Hunt’s death on July 17, 2026, and said, “We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Ron Hunt.
Hunt, a Met from 1963 through 1966, was the first player to start an All-Star game in franchise history. We send our condolences to his friends and family. pic.twitter.com/moYs9jC32b”
Hunt spent the first four seasons of his 12-year major league career with the Mets and became one of the club’s early standouts. A second baseman by trade, he represented the National League in the All-Star Game in both 1964 and 1966.
His career later 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.
Hunt was never known for power, though he did hit 10 of his 39 career home runs as a rookie in 1963. What he was known for, more than anything, was taking pitches off the body. He led his league in hit-by-pitches seven times, including 50 in the 1971 season, and his 243 career beanings rank sixth all-time.
“Some folks give their bodies to science,” Hunt once said. “I gave mine to baseball.”
He finished his big league career with a .273/.368/.347 slash line across 1,483 games.
A St. Louis native, Hunt originally 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 to the first-year franchise. He was promoted right away and quickly became one of the best players on a Mets team that struggled badly in its early years.
The New York Post reported in 2019 that Hunt had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and longtime Mets public relations director Jay Horwitz said Hunt had been dealing with multiple illnesses.
Former Mets pitcher Jack Fisher told Horwitz, “(Hunt) did everything to help us win,” former Mets pitcher Jack Fisher told Horwitz. “He was just the ultimate competitor.”
After his playing days, Hunt returned to his farm in Wentzville, Missouri, where he opened liquor and sporting goods stores and did some farming. In 1987, he founded 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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