Dodgers will retire Gil Hodges’ number 14 on June 4

Gil Hodges, the pillar of power for the Boys of Summer Brooklyn Dodgers who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December, will have his uniform number 14 retired by the Dodgers on June 4 at Dodger Stadium.

The ceremony for Hodges will take place before next Saturday’s game against the Mets, the only other major league team Hodges played for, and one he managed for four years, including leading the 1969 Mets to the franchise’s first championship.

Hodges is the 11th number retired by the Dodgers and will get his number 14 placed on the club level at Dodger Stadium, along with announcers Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín. Of that group, everyone is in the Hall of Fame except for Jim Gilliam, a longtime player and coach with the franchise.

Photo: Eric Stephen | True Blue LA

“When you mention all-time greats in Dodger history, Gil Hodges is among the finest to ever don Dodger blue,” Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “We are thrilled that he will finally take his place in Cooperstown alongside the games greats and look forward to honoring him.”

Hodges’ son Gil Jr. and one of his daughters, Irene, will be at Dodger Stadium on Saturday for the ceremony honoring their father.

The Dodgers with Hodges at first base played in seven World Series and won two championships. He ranks second in franchise history in home runs (361) and runs batted in (1,254), and third in total bases (3,357) and walks (925).

When Hodges retired in 1963, Hodges’ 370 home runs ranked third among all right-handed hitters in major league history.

Counting the baseball writers’ ballot and various forms of the veterans committee, Hodges had to wait until his 35th time on a ballot before making the Hall of Fame. Sadly, Hodges was only alive for the first four of those attempts. He died just before the 1972 season.

Since Hodges’ last season with the Dodgers, 1961, twenty-three different Dodgers wore uniform number 14. The last one was Enrique Hernández from 2015-20.

But now, nobody else will wear number 14 with the Dodgers.