On July 24, 2022, Gil Hodges will finally be posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, an honor that many fans feel is long overdue. Presented is a Gil Hodges single signed Official National League Baseball (Warren Giles) that dates from 1958-62. Hodges spent the bulk of his 18-year playing career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, but he finished his playing years with the 1962-63 New York Mets. Hodges first appeared in the Majors as an 18-year-old third baseman for one game in 1943. He served in the U.S. Marines in the South Pacific during World War II, then became a catcher in the minors. He made it back to the Brooklyn team as a catcher in 1947, and then was shifted to first base in 1948. No other player except teammate Duke Snider had more home runs or drove in more runs during the 1950s than Hodges. When he stopped playing, Hodges was briefly number 10 on the all-time MLB homer list, with 370. Gil was also a superb fielding first baseman. He won the first three Gold Glove Awards and almost assuredly would have won many more if the Gold Glove Award were given earlier in his career. Gil was at first base for six National league pennant winners, and for two Dodger teams that won the World Series - one in Brooklyn and one in Los Angeles. Hodges managed the Washington Senators for five seasons, and then returned to New York to skipper the Mets from 1968-71. He managed the New York "Miracle Mets" to the World Championship in 1969, and that victory was regarded as an incredible upset from the usually downtrodden Mets. Hodges passed away from a heart attack in 1972 when he was 47 years old.  Single signed and inscribed by Hodges as "Best Wishes" and "NY Mets". The baseball comes with a JSA Letter of Authenticity. The Hodges' signature, signed with a blue ballpoint pen on a side panel, rates 7/10. The ball is in excellent condition. With the Hall of Fame induction for Hodges imminent, what better time to have a single signed Gil Hodges baseball?