Aaron was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982, and now works in the front office for the Atlanta Braves. Aaron would finish the season in Atlanta, go back to Milwaukee for two seasons as the Brewers' DH and end his career with 755 home runs. [131], In June 2000 Tufts University awarded Aaron an honorary Doctor of Public Service. Number six-hundred forty-nine (649) was hit on June 10, 1972 and it is significant because it passed Willie Mays and made Hank Aaron the all-time home run leader in the National League. On the Dodgers broadcast for Aarons 715th home run, Vin Scully took note of the momentous occasion both for baseball and society. (Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) Aaron hit 40 home runs in the 1973 season, bringing his career total to 713, one run short of the record. On May 17, Aaron collected his 3,000th hit, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, the team against which he played in his first major-league game. When the stadium was instead named Turner Field (after Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner), a section of Capitol Avenue running past the stadium was renamed Hank Aaron Drive. Bonds surpassed Aaron in 2007 with his 756th home run. [53], In 1970, Aaron reached two more career milestones. [106][107] Fans paid tribute to Aaron by placing flowers in front of the home run wall where he hit his 715th home run at the former site of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and in front of his statue at Truist Park.[108]. [54] Aaron established the record for most seasons with thirty or more home runs in the National League. After finishing his remarkable career with 755 home runs, Aaron later spoke of how he was able to compartmentalize his play on the field and the vitriol he faced off of it. On July 13, Aaron hit a home run in the All-Star Game (played at Detroit's Tiger Stadium) for the first time. [150], In 2022, a recording of the WSB broadcast of the April 8, 1974, BravesDodgers game in which Aaron hit his 715th home run was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry. At age 37, he hit a career-high 47 home runs during the season (along with a career-high .669 slugging percentage) and finished third in MVP voting for the sixth time. [100] He and several other African American public figures, including activist Joe Beasley, Andrew Young, and Louis Sullivan, did so to demonstrate the safety of the vaccine and encourage other black Americans to do the same. [25], The Howe Sports Bureau credits Aaron with a .366 batting average in 26 official Negro league games, with five home runs, 33 runs batted in (RBIs), 41 hits, and nine stolen bases. A seven-time NL MVP, the 43-year-old Bonds hit his 22nd home run of the year. Getty Images Aaron reportedly received 930,000 pieces of mail in 1973 the year before he broke Ruth's record with enough including threats that the. [2] Aaron is also third all-time for career hits (3,771) and fifth in runs scored (2,174). [100][101], Aaron died in his sleep in his Atlanta residence on January 22, 2021 at the age of 86. Henry Aaron, the slugger known as "Hammerin' Hank" who broke broke Babe Ruth's career home run mark and remains No. [3] Aaron's ability as a hitter can be illustrated by his still having over 3,000 hits even without counting any of his home runs. [114], The Atlanta Braves honored Hank Aaron during the 2021 season by including his jersey number 44 on the back of the team caps along with Phil Niekro's jersey number, 35 (who died one month earlier in December 2020). [11] During his minor league experience, he was very homesick and faced constant racism, but his brother, Herbert Jr., told him not to give up the opportunity. His debut generates a buzz throughout the sports world. Similarly, the point where Aaron's 715th homer landed, upon breaking Ruth's career record in 1974, is marked in the Turner Field parking lot. In April 1997, a new baseball facility for the AA Mobile Bay Bears constructed in Aaron's hometown of Mobile, Alabama was named Hank Aaron Stadium. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms released the following statement on his death: Derek, our family and I join the nation in sending heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Billye Aaron, the beautiful wife of Henry Hank Aaron for nearly 50 years, and the entire family. While cannons were fired in celebration, two college students [67] sprinted onto the field and jogged alongside Aaron for part of his circuit around the bases, temporarily startling him. His closest competition is Hank Aaron who "only" hit home runs in every possible ballpark during nine seasons! [4] By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last former Negro league baseball player on a major league roster. 4/4/74: On Opening Day, Hank Aaron hits his 714th Major League home run, tying Babe Ruth for most home runs in Major League historyCheck out http://MLB.com/v. Another fun one: Aaron started this season at 713 and the Braves opened the season on the road. Meanwhile, Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully addressed the racial tensionor apparent lack thereofin his call of the home run: What a marvelous moment for baseball; what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia; what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1974 Hank Aaron Record Home Run #715 Framed Newspaper Print at the best online prices at eBay! Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). [39] Aaron hit his first major league home run on April 23, also off Raschi. An advocate of nonviolence and conservatism, he pleaded innocent in the highly read more, On April 8, Buddhists celebrate the commemoration of the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, thought to have lived in India from 563 B.C. Aaron's autobiography, I Had a Hammer was published in 1990. They also painted 44 in the midfield at Truist Park. While preparing the massive coverage of the home run record, he quietly had an obituary written, afraid that Aaron might be murdered.[62]. [86] There was considerable speculation that this was a snubbing of Bonds based on the widespread belief that Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs and steroids to aid his achievement. [52] Aaron was, at the time, the second-youngest player to reach the milestone. Hank Aaron Stats. Atlanta Braves home uniform shirt #44 worn by Hank Aaron on April 8, 1974 when he broke Babe Ruth's career home run record with his 715th homer in the 4th inning vs. Los Angeles Dodgers - B-5.87 (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library) Related Hall of Famers To the top Hank Aaron Inducted: 1982 Position: Right Fielder Walter Alston Aaron's legacy has and will always be. Hank Aaron's Accomplishments. ", "There was a big catch holding on to No. [36], In 1954, Aaron attended spring training with the major league club. Every home run Hank Aaron hit over the course of his big league career appears below in chronological order, along with the date of the home run, his age at the time he homered, the pitcher who surrendered the home run, the inning (Inn), his batting order position (BOP) in the lineup, and where he was playing that day (Pos). He would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets. Sure, Aaron led the National League (NL) four times, he also was a two-time batting champion and led the league in RBIs four times and runs scored three times. 762 (Bonds' final homer . [102][103][104], His funeral was held on January 27, followed by his burial at South-View Cemetery. Of a time his team was in Washington, D.C. Aaron recalled: We had breakfast while we were waiting for the rain to stop, and I can still envision sitting with the Clowns in a restaurant behind Griffith Stadium and hearing them break all the plates in the kitchen after we finished eating. 11-20-1951 | Aaron is signed by scout Ed Scott to play for the Indianapolis Clowns. [128] The award honors the best overall offensive performer in the American and National League. [35] In 1958, Aaron hit .326, with 30 home runs and 95 RBIs. [28] A teammate later said, "the man ate pork chops three meals a day, two for breakfast". I didnt read most of them, but I wanted to have them as reminders, Aaron later wrote in his autobiography I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story.. As Aaron hammered closer to Ruth's 714 home runs, he . [85][non-primary source needed] As Bonds began to close in on the record during the 2007 season, Aaron let it be known that, although he recognized Bonds' achievements, he would not be present when Bonds broke the record. [7] He was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for one season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25),[a] while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. SCP Auctions reports that Barry Bonds' record 756th home run ball to pass Hank Aaron for first on the all-time home run list went for $752,467 in 2007, while No. Although he batted cross-handed (as a right-handed hitter, with his left hand above his right), Aaron established himself as a power hitter. "On April 8, 1974, when Atlanta Braves' Henry 'Hank' Aaron hit his 715th home run to eclipse the record held by Babe Ruth, there was hardly any celebration. Barry Bonds remembers Hank Aaron as 'icon' after complicat Daniel Jones needs to see big picture in Giants negotiations, Red-hot Jon Rahm no match for wind-swept Bay Hill: 'F--king hard', The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. Four days earlier, in Cincinnati, he had homered in his first at-bat of the season to tie Ruth at 714. Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. [61] The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. [78], Aaron hit his 755th and final home run on July 20, 1976, at Milwaukee County Stadium off Dick Drago of the California Angels, which stood as the MLB career home run record for 31 years until it was broken in 2007 by Barry Bonds. The nickname quickly gained currency, but "Henry" continued to be cited frequently in the media, both sometimes appearing in the same article, and Aaron would answer to either one. [49], In 1963, Aaron nearly won the triple crown. Additionally, Aaron owned a chain of 30 restaurants around the country. Hank Aaron, who faced down racism as he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball's home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years, has. He's sittin' on 714. He added 22 more in 1975 and 1976, finally calling it a career with 755 career home runs. That same year, baseball fans named Aaron to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He could run, too: He retired with 240 career steals and was only the third player,. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season, many expected him to tie the record. It was the only time in his career that he hit three home runs in a game. And Aaron showed grace and humility when he congratulated Bonds for beating his mark, though it was clear to everyone that it was tainted. [112][113] He also received tributes from former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He had 100+ RBIs in a season 15 times, including a record of 13 in a row. What a horrible sound. This All-Star Game, like the first one he played in 1955, was before a home crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium. Aaron spent his 23-year big league career with two organizations. [132] In July 2000 and again in July 2002, Aaron threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, played at Turner Field and Miller Park now named American Family Field, respectively. It was the first major award to be introduced in more than thirty years and had the distinction of being the first award named after a player who was still alive. But it was Hammerin' Hank's sweet home run swing for which he was best known. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. He started play as a 6ft (180cm), 180lb (82kg) shortstop,[22] and earned $200 per month. Babe Ruth ended his career with 2,873 hits after 22 seasons. According to the Hall of Fame 's stats keepers, Aaron leads both leagues in all-time ribbies, with 2.297 runs batted in during his storied career. On April 4, Opening Day, a 39-year-old Aaron sent the very first pitch he saw over the wall,. Hank Aaron was a Major League Baseball player that is considered by many the greatest baseball player ever. Aaron went 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts in Atlanta's 5-3 win over the Reds on April 7. I was just a man doing something that God had given me the power to do, and I was living like an outcast in my own country. [48], After the 1976 season, Aaron rejoined the Braves as an executive. The next day, Aaron made his first spring training start for the Braves major league team, playing in left field and hitting a home run. [11] In addition, Aaron hit for a .336 batting average. In 1986, Hank Aaron made a guest appearance in "Just Another Fox in the Crowd", episode 30 of Crazy Like a Fox. He hit his 40th home run of the season against the Giants' Jerry Johnson on August 10, which established a National League record for most seasons with 40 or more home runs (seven). [c] In that season, Aaron became the third player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season, and the first player to record 40 home runs and 30 steals in a season. The next day, he made history back home. [41], At this point, Aaron was known to family and friends primarily as "Henry". Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 - January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Aaron, known as hard working and quiet, was the last Negro league player to also compete in the Major Leagues. Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. [23] As a result of his standout play with the Indianapolis Clowns, Aaron received two offers from MLB teams via telegram, one from the New York Giants and the other from the Boston Braves. Many current or former athletes and team owners such as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Magic Johnson, David Ortiz, Dusty Baker, Eduardo Prez, Mike Trout, and Baseball Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark paid tribute to him. "[34], That same year, Aaron met his future wife, Barbara Lucas. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth but went on to break the career home run record in the pre-steroids era, died early Friday. Coincidentally, Snoopy was only one home run short of tying the record (and finished the season as such when Charlie Brown got picked off during Snoopy's last at-bat), and as it turned out, Aaron finished the 1973 season one home run short of Ruth. 44 for Pete Maravich. With 755 career home runs, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record by more than 40 home runs. Hank Aaron, who hit 755 career home runs in the baseball's . He was 86. In 1957, Aaron won his only NL MVP Award,[11] as he had his first brush with the triple crown. Lucy says in the August 11 strip, "Hank Aaron is a great player but you! 0:00. Free shipping for many products! The Braves legend, who died Friday at the age of 86, made history while receiving death threats and hate mail on the way to surpassing Ruth in the record books late in his Hall of Fame career, which spanned from 1954-1976. [57] Aaron finished the season with 673 career home runs. On December 15, 1957, his wife Barbara gave birth to twins. Actually, the Buddhist tradition that celebrates his birthday on April 8 originally placed his birth in the 11th read more, On April 8, 1944, Russian forces led by Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin attack the German army in an attempt to win back Crimea, in the southern Ukraine, occupied by the Axis power. This is wrong. He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. He was named to the NL All-Star roster for the first time; it was the first of a record 21 All-Star selections and first of a record 25 All-Star Game appearances. )[149] Also in Atlanta, the Forrest Hill Academy was renamed the Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy in April 2021. Aaron's pursuit of Ruth's ultimate home run record was one of the top sports stories of the 1970s and generated intense media coverage. Aaron would hit 44 home runs in four different seasons,[40] and he hit his record-breaking 715th career home run off Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, who coincidentally also wore number 44. [122] The award is given annually to the baseball hitters voted the most effective in each respective league. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ken Severson A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was with Aaron that night to cheer when he hit a 4th inning pitch off the Los Angeles Dodgers Al Downing. (The NBA's Atlanta Hawks had previously retired No. Considered one of the greatest baseball players in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). [118], In 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. [15] Aaron attended Central High School[b] as a freshman and a sophomore. The act was unprecedented and read more, On April 8, 1994, rock star Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle, Washington, with fresh injection marks in both arms and a fatal wound to the head from the 20-gauge shotgun found between his knees. All that hatred left a deep scar on me. Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball's former home-run king and a cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves franchise, died on Friday. By 1969, his chances of breaking the Babe's record were in sight. He led the league with 44 home runs and 130 RBIs and finished third in batting average. Braves announcer Milo Hamilton, calling the game on WSB radio, described the scene as Aaron broke the record: Henry Aaron, in the second inning walked and scored. [79][80] Over the course of his record-breaking 23-year career, Aaron had a batting average of .305 and 163 hits a season, while averaging just over 32 home runs and 99 RBIs a year. Nearly 28 years earlier, the read more, Pirates had not captured a ship sailing under the American flag since the 1820s until April 8, 2009, when the MV Maersk Alabama was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. That year, he also played in his last and 24th All-Star Game (25th All-Star Game selection[47]); he lined out to Dave Concepcin as a pinch-hitter in the second inning. About 755HomeRuns.com. After the game, Aaron said his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season. Baseball's all-time home run king, Hank Aaron did more than hit home runs. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Ruth's record and in doing so, received the undying support of the fans. Formally entitled a read more. Statistic Description: Home Runs Hit/Allowed. [152][153], MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962. [11] Although Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner nearly went over the outfield fence trying to catch it, the ball flew into the Braves' bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it. The Hall of Famer holds a host of records, from the most runs batted in (2,297), the most seasons as an all-star (21) to the most home runs ever (755) . The life and death of Hank Aaron (1934-2021) The Atlanta. [11][12] He had seven siblings. He was also named The Sporting News NL Player of the Year. Bonds denied the allegations, then later argued ignorance. [9] In 1982, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. "A grand jury, a tell-all book and a congressional committee have combined to form a major-league needle puncturing baseball's public image" , reported Chris Jenkins of USA Today in 'Players Admit Steroids Changed Baseball' (USA Today, 03/15/2005) Between February 17, 2005 and March 9, 2005 five-hundred . [70], On October 2, 1974, Aaron hit his 733rd home run in his last at-bat as a Braves player. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (managed by Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to achieve this. [23] On June 12, 1952, Aaron signed with Braves' scout Dewey Griggs. [93], In an interview in 1991, Aaron credited the priest, Fr. [50] In 1968, Aaron was the first Atlanta Braves player to hit his 500th career home run, and in 1970, he was the first Atlanta Brave to reach 3,000 career hits. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and in 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! It was the only inside-the-park home run of his career. If successful, this would give North Vietnam control of the northern read more, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorizes almost $5 million to implement work-relief programs on this day in 1935. [36], The stint in Puerto Rico also allowed Aaron to avoid being drafted into military service. Sports Illustrated commemorates Hank Aaron's record-setting home run in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia. [37] On April 13, Aaron made his major league debut and was hitless in five at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds' left-hander Joe Nuxhall. ", "Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players", "Aaron to throw out first pitch at All-Star Game", "President Bush Announces the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom", "About Carson Park: Eau Claire, Wisconsin", "Aaron receives honorary degree from Princeton", "Portrait of Nation Prize Winner: Hank Aaron", "National Portrait Gallery Honors Aretha Franklin, Carolina Herrera, Hank Aaron", "Hank Aaron presented with Order of the Rising Sun", "Hank Aaron throws out 1st pitch at SunTrust Park", "MLB renames developmental program after Hank Aaron", "Georgia Tech football to retire Hank Aaron's number 44 for 2021 season", "Hank Aaron replaces Confederate general in school name", "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022", "Sports stars of Alabama: Where are they now?