The NYC press loved Gil for his performance on the field and his behavior off. He was the epitome of the gentleman/ballplayer, far different than, say, the relationship between Ted Williams and the Boston press. I vaguely recall that when Gil went hitless in the first 4 games of the WS of 1952 against the Yanks (of course), his parish priest called the congregation to pray that he would get a hit. And when he returned to manage the Mets, it was like the 2nd coming and the '69 WS was proof of Gil's divinity.
He definitely had an impact on baseball far greater than his mere stats.
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