Ron Hunt, a Major League Baseball second baseman known for his toughness and his record-setting ability to get hit by pitches, died Wednesday at his home in St. Louis. He was 85. Hunt’s daughter, Tracy Hunt, said the cause of death was Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

Hunt played 12 seasons in the majors, including a notable stint with the New York Mets during the early 1960s. He was the Mets’ first player to start in an All-Star Game and the first to hit a home run at Shea Stadium, accomplishing the latter on April 23, 1964, against the Chicago Cubs. Hunt appeared in two All-Star Games while with the Mets and finished the 1964 season with a .303 batting average.

He was widely recognized for his ability to get hit by pitches, setting modern major-league records with 50 hit-by-pitches in a single season in 1971 while playing for the Montreal Expos, and 243 over his career. Although his record for total hit-by-pitches has since been surpassed by players such as Craig Biggio (285), Jason Kendall (254), and Don Baylor (267), Hunt's single-season mark remains intact. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hughie Jennings set even higher all-time records.

Hunt described his approach to getting hit by pitches as a calculated tactic. He said he would wear loose wool uniforms and stand close to the plate to increase the likelihood of being plunked, flipping the ball back to the pitcher afterward without showing aggression.

A right-handed batter, Hunt combined his durability with solid offensive production, posting a career batting average of .273. Defensively, he was known for his quick arm and his willingness to endure physical contact while turning double plays. Mets coach Don Heffner noted that Hunt did not shy away from collisions at second base, often straddling the bag to avoid stepping away and not sacrificing his throws to first base.

Hunt was a gritty competitor who excelled as an aggressive baserunner under manager Casey Stengel, who managed the Mets from 1963 to 1965. One notable incident involved Hunt sliding into home plate to try to dislodge the ball from the Milwaukee Braves’ catcher, sparking a bench-clearing confrontation that included Stengel himself.

Born February 23, 1941, in St. Louis, Ronald Kenneth Hunt played high school baseball and football before spending four seasons in the Milwaukee Braves' farm system. The Mets acquired his contract in 1962, where he quickly became a fan favorite. After leaving the Mets, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, and finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974.

Hunt is survived by his wife, Jackie, whom he met in high school, his daughter Tracy, and a son, Ron Jr.