Before leading the New York Mets to World Series title, manager Gil Hodges had already overseen the transformation of the club from a woeful expansion team, to a respectable outfit that reached the baseball pinnacle in 1969. The 1970 and 1971 teams would finish above .500 under Hodges’ leadership as the Mets became a team to be reckoned with in the National League.

     Sadly, on April 2, 1972 just before the season started, Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack in West Palm Beach, Florida. The beloved manager was already an icon, having spent the vast majority of his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers and was even part of the initial 1962 expansion Mets. Offered is this extremely rare jersey that was issued to Hodges for the 1972 season. This size 44 Rawlings New York Mets home now off-white pinstripe button-down jersey features “Mets” and Hodges number “14” sewn on the front of the jersey in blue and orange tackle twill. The back of the jersey has “14” sewn on in blue and orange tackle twill, while the left sleeve has the Mets “skyline” logo patch sewn on. The team strip tag is sewn on the inside back collar and reads in blue “44 72 14”, indicating the size, year and player (manager) of the jersey. This jersey displays light use and is consistent with the style of jersey worn by the Mets in 1972. The absence of the memorial armband worn by the team after Hodges’ death also indicates this jersey’s issue to Hodges. This jersey comes with a full LOA from noted game used jersey expert Dave Miedema.

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