 His nickname of "Gomer" came from a teammate Bob Wolfe on the Burlington Indians in 1964 due to his resemblance to Jim Nabors, who played the role of Gomer Pyle on television's The Andy Griffith Show and its spinoff Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..The nickname stuck with him throughout his career.After being signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent in 1963, Hodge began his professional career with the Dubuque Packers.