Former Mets infielder Ron Hunt enters hospice care at age 85

A longtime team official shared the news Saturday and asked fans to keep the 85-year-old in their thoughts. Hunt played four seasons with the Mets from 1963 to 1966. He became the first player in team history to start an All-Star Game when he took the field at second base for the National League in the 1964 Midsummer Classic at Shea Stadium.

303 and received down-ballot votes for National League Most Valuable Player. The year before, he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Pete Rose. In 1966, his final season with the Mets, Hunt earned his second All-Star selection.

Hunt continued his career with the Dodgers, Giants, Expos and Cardinals. He finished with 1,429 hits and was hit by pitches 243 times, the sixth-most in Major League Baseball history.

Recent health update The team official said he met Hunt and his family during a visit to Citi Field a few years ago and later spoke with him by phone. The official noted that Hunt had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018. "No one played the game harder than Ron Hunt, our first All-Star," the official wrote. "He would do anything to help win a game."