Gomer and Marty

They are two sad stories involving a pair of former utility players who have long since been forgotten by some of the baseball community. Neither Gomer Hodge nor Marty Martinez gained much fame during their major league careers, but they still became notable for other reasons. Martinez died suddenly last week at the age of 65; the 62-year-old Hodge is seriously ill, how in the advanced stages of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A native of Cuba, Orlando "Marty" Martinez was never much more than a backup infielder who played for seven seasons in the major leagues. He broke in with the Minnesota Twins in 1962, but didn’t return to the major leagues until five years later, managing to crack the roster of the Atlanta Braves in 1967. He also played in 22 games for the World Champion Oakland A’s in 1972, but wasn’t around long enough to savor their title victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The A’s traded him in mid-season to the lowly Texas Rangers, thereby denying Martinez of what would have been his lone postseason appearance. Thankfully, fortunes turned better for Martinez after his playing days. He became a Latin American scout with the Seattle Mariners and displayed a keen eye for talent, signing such talents as Edgar Martinez and Omar Vizquel. Martinez also worked as an infield instructor, honing the skills of middle infielders like Vizquel, Harold Reynolds, and Spike Owen. Along the way, Martinez emerged as an institution in Seattle, gaining such popularity that he became known as "Baseball Marty." In 1986, the Mariners gave Martinez a reward by handing him the managerial reigns for a day. Although he was the interim manager for the briefest of tenures—in between the regimes of Chuck Cottier and **** Williams—Mariners players were thrilled that the beloved Martinez had received his chance to call the shots.

Martinez eventually left the Mariners’ organization. In recent years, as I learned in an article written by standout Seattle baseball writer Larry Stone, he had tried to return to baseball, but no one would hire him. And then last week, at the too-young age of 65, Martinez suffered a heart attack and died. He left behind a wife, Faye, and a legacy of being a hardworking baseball lifer.

The news surrounding Harold "Gomer" Hodge isn’t much happier. Even more than Martinez, Hodge struggled to build a niche in the major leagues. A native of small town North Carolina, Hodge played only one season, collecting 83 at-bats in 80 games for the dismal 1971 Cleveland Indians. On a team with little appeal, Hodge stood out as a rare baseball personality. He sounded so much like actor Jim Nabors, who played Gomer Pyle on the old Andy Griffith Show, that friends and acquaintances called him Gomer. After collecting four hits in his first four at-bats, three of them as a pinch-hitter, Hodge declared in his best Nabors voice: "Golly, fellas, I’m hitting 4.000!" And he didn’t mean it kiddingly.

Hodge couldn’t keep up his early hitting pace. He finished the season at .205. He wasn’t much better defensively. While willing to play anywhere—first base, second base, or third base—Gomer didn’t play any of the positions well. Not so surprisingly, he didn’t return to the major leagues in 1972.

Still, Hodge left an impact. His down-home manner, his sense of humor, and his willingness to talk made him a favorite of teammates and media alike, a kind of folk hero in Cleveland. Equipped with an easygoing personality, Hodge eventually managed to return to baseball as a minor league coach. Even years after his 1971 cameo, he has remained a popular target for autograph seekers. Sadly, though, his first marriage ended in divorce and he lost most of his savings. His health has now departed him. Diagnosed with ALS two years ago, Hodge is now in the final stages of the disease. He cannot speak, restricted to communicating with his wife and friends through simple hand movements.

I learned about Hodge’s plight through the work of Terry Pluto, a brilliant sportswriter with the Akron Beacon Journal, who wrote a terrific piece about the former Indians’ utility infielder. At the end of the article, Pluto encouraged Indians fans to send Gomer a letter. I’d like to match that effort here. If you have a memory of Hodge, or simply want to wish him well, send him a note at the address below. Please don’t let Hodge become as forgotten as Martinez was before he left us so quickly.

Gomer Hodge

Autumn Care of Saluda

P.O. Box 488

Saluda, NC 28773