Ron Hunt, the hard-nosed second baseman who became the first New York Met to start in an All-Star Game, died Wednesday at age 85.

Hunt, who set a Modern Era record with 50 hit-by-pitches in the 1971 season, had been in hospice care for a month.

Hunt played for five teams during his major league career, including time with the Mets (1963-66), Los Angeles Dodgers (1967), San Francisco Giants (1968-70), Montreal Expos (1971-74) and St. Louis Cardinals (1974). He collected 1,429 career hits across 12 seasons and was known for his tenacity.

“No one played the game harder than Ron Hunt, our first All-Star,” vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz wrote on Medium on July 4. “He would do anything to help win a game.”

Perhaps best known for his penchant for wearing a pitch, the two-time All-Star was plunked 243 times in his career, sixth most in MLB history.

“Some folks give their bodies to science,” Hunt famously said. “I gave mine to baseball.”

Born Feb. 23, 1941, in St. Louis, Hunt signed with the Milwaukee Braves out of high school after standout prep careers in baseball and football. The expansion Mets purchased his contract following their inaugural 1962 season and made him their starting second baseman, where he made his major league debut in 1963.

Hunt had 145 hits, 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs that season, finishing runner-up to 22-year-old Reds star Pete Rose for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. That was statistically the best season of Hunt’s career, but he continued to endear himself to fans and teammates with his no-nonsense approach to the game.

Starting in the 1964 Midsummer Classic, he singled in his first at-bat for the National League at his home field, Shea Stadium.

Hunt’s fearless play in the batter’s box and on the field earned him a career 32.7 bWAR. It also resulted in 16 baseball-related surgeries and might have contributed to the onset of Parkinson’s disease, which affected him in his later years.

Hunt is survived by his wife, Jackie; his daughter, Tracy; and son, Ron Jr.

–Field Level Media

While revealing that he’s not a fan of Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy said Saturday he had no doubt that the two-time major champion deserved to be penalized for improving “the area of his intended swing” in tall grass on the fifth hole Friday at The Open.

McIlroy, the two-time reigning Masters champion and a six-time major champion, was in the players’ lounge watching on TV with other golfers when DeChambeau stamped down on different patches of tall grass near his ball on the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

“As soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, ‘That didn’t seem right,'” McIlroy said. “Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think it was pretty obvious for why.”

DeChambeau vehemently disagreed with the ruling as officials shuttled him back to the scene of the alleged misdeed before he could enter the scoring trailer to sign his second-round scorecard.

A popular but divisive figure in the world of golf, the LIV Golf star originally posted a 4-under 66 to move to 7 under, one shot behind Australia’s Lucas Herbert. Now, rather than waking up Saturday in second place and part the final pairing for the third round, DeChambeau entered the weekend three behind Herbert instead of one, his bogey 5 at the fifth hole changed to a triple-bogey 7.

“Yeah, I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing,” McIlroy said following his 1-under 69 third round that left him at 2 under after 54 holes. “Again, it’s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully, it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.”

McIlroy also expressed his disdain with DeChambeau holding off on signing his scorecard due to arguing his case, which delayed The R&A from releasing Saturday’s tee times.

McIlroy said he was also irritated that DeChambeau took so long to argue his case before signing his scorecard. It delayed The R&A from releasing tee times for Saturday’s third round.

“Late night for everyone,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, look, I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”

Meanwhile, Max Homa and other golfers came to DeChambeau’s defense, disagreeing with The R&A’s ruling and saying DeChambeau would never break the rules of golf.

“All I know is I’ve known Bryson for a very long time, and he’s an interesting human at times, but I know he would never cheat the game of golf,” Homa said after his 3-under 67 in the third round left him 3 under for the tourney. “I don’t really love how it happened. It’s not that the R&A said that he did it intentionally, but that rule as a professional golfer feels like it’s written inherently to protect against people trying to improve their lie. I just hope that doesn’t create a narrative because I don’t believe that of him.”

Xander Schauffele, a two-time major champion, saw the replay and did not think DeChambeau committed a penalty.

“He’s just stepping in how you’d normally step in to hit a golf shot,” Schauffele said. “I think the R&A said something along the lines of whether it’s intentional or not, it’s still a penalty. It’s a tough spot to be, obviously, when you’re in high brush, kind of having to dance around to get to your golf ball is a tricky thing. It’s not something we’re used to doing that often.”

R&A CEO Mark Darbon defended the decision, which he said was based on the rules in a BBC Radio interview on Saturday.

“It was an unfortunate decision but really clear-cut from a rules perspective,” Darbon said. “So, obviously, our team discuss it. The final decision sits with our chief referee and we have a responsibility to our championship and to the rest of the field.

“And so, irrespective of which player this affected it’s the same decision. From a rules perspective, it was clear-cut.”

–Field Level Media

Spain were forced to cancel their final training session on Saturday ahead of the World Cup final due to thunderstorms in New Jersey.

The weather system also affected Spain’s opponent, Argentina, although the latter held practice after a delay of roughly 45 minutes.

The two nations battle for the title on Sunday at East Rutherford, N.J.

Under tournament protocol, training must be postponed if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius. Lightning is typically checked every 30 minutes until it is safe to resume activity. The protocol has delayed several matches throughout the tournament, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With a steady rain throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, Spain waited out the storm for around 40 minutes before opting to cancel.

Though the inclement weather affected the last practices, the rain was expected to clear the haze in the area caused by the Canadian wildfires, which would make for better conditions for Sunday’s 3 p.m. final at nearby MetLife Stadium. The Air Quality Index (AQI), which was at 160 on Saturday — an “unhealthy” level — is also predicted to drop to 100 — a “moderate” level — by Sunday.

–Field Level Media