Ron Hunt, hard-nosed infielder and Mets first All-Star starter, dead at 85

Ron Hunt, the first Met to start an All-Star Game, died this in St.Louis.

He was 85.The St.Louis native spent 12 seasons in the majors, the first four with the Mets.Known for his hard-nosed style of play, Hunt started at second base for the National League in the Midsummer Classic at Shea Stadium in 1964, his second season in the majors.Hunt, a Met from 1963-66, represented the Mets as an All-Star again in 1966, before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers that offseason.Never afraid of physical contact, Hunt led the NL in getting hit by pitch seven times — and the majors six.

He was drilled 243 times in his career- sixth-most in MLB history.When he retired after spring training in 1975, no one had been hit more than Hunt and he holds the modern (post-1900) single-season record of 50 HBPs in 1971 with the Expos.Ron Kenneth Hunt was born in St.Louis on February 23, 1941, the only child of Floyd and Bernice Hunt.

Hunt was also raised by his grandfather, Walter Gronemeyer, who passed along his passion for baseball.Hunt signed with the Milwaukee Braves out of Ritenour High School, where he played baseball and football.His contract was purchased by the Mets after their inaugural 1962 season and he also played for the Dodgers, Giants, Expos and Cardinals.After joining the Mets, Hunt went straight to the majors in 1963 and became the starting second baseman. In that first season, Hunt had 145 hits, 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs, numbers he never surpassed in the rest of his career.The results were good enough that Hunt finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to Pete Rose.Over a dozen years in the majors, Hunt had 1429 hits.More than numbers, though, Hunt made his mark with his tenacity between the lines.As a 22-year-old rookie, Hunt led the Mets with 13 HBPs that season.“Some folks give their bodies to science,’’ Hunt said.“I gave mine to baseball.” As he explained to The Post’s Ken Davidoff in 2018, “I found out I cou...