Henry Aaron is coming around third. [100][101], Aaron died in his sleep in his Atlanta residence on January 22, 2021 at the age of 86. [129] Later that year, he ranked fifth on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[130] and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Aaron received thousands of letters every week during the summer of 1973, including hate mail; the Braves ended up hiring a secretary to help him sort through it. He was 86 years old. 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. [35] Two days later, one of the children died. FILE- In this July 12, 2004, file photo, home run record holder Hank Aaron greets San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds before the start of the All-Star Home Run Derby in Houston. He also enjoyed cooking and fishing. Aaron's legacy has and will always be. 0:00. But it was Hammerin' Hank's sweet home run swing for which he was best known. 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). He then changed his number to 44, which would turn out to look like a "lucky number" for the slugger. [11] Tommie Aaron, one of his brothers, also went on to play Major League Baseball. The game was also broadcast nationally on NBC. The Arthur Blank-owned Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, along with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have plans during their 2021 seasons to reserve 44 for Aaron. The stadium's street number is 755, after Aaron's total number of home runs; the 755 street number was retained for Turner Field's replacement, Truist Park. This All-Star Game, like the first one he played in 1955, was before a home crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium. Aaron was on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service. And listen to this crowd![69]. Aaron had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who played major-league baseball with him. In a later interview with Atlanta sportscasting personality Chris Dimino, Aaron made it clear his reluctance to attend any celebration of a new home run record was based upon his personal conviction that baseball is not about breaking records, but simply playing to the best of one's potential. [11] The 1952 season proved to be very beneficial for Aaron. [8] In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its list of the "100 Greatest Baseball Players". In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. [116][117] After the Braves won the 2021 World Series, Aaron was honored in the design of the team's World Series championship ring, which includes 755 total diamonds to commemorate Aaron's career home runs, and 44 emerald-cut diamonds to represent Aaron's jersey number with the Braves. He died on January 22, 2021, at age 86. The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens werent close in what could be final Hall of Fame chance, If the Yankees lose Aaron Judge, heres how it could happen, Dusty Baker: No debate over true home run king, Aaron Judge hits 62nd home run to break Roger Maris record. [121] In 1988, Aaron was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame for his time spent on the Eau Claire Bears, Milwaukee Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers. 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. 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. The Atlanta Braves great, who smashed Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, died Jan. 22. Aaron's achievements didn't end when his career did, though. Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. Like most high schools, they did not have organized baseball, so he played outfield and third base for the Mobile Black Bears, a semipro team. [89], Despite being publicly and professionally known as "Hank," Aaron preferred to go by his given name, "Henry. 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. All Rights Reserved. It is as of yet the only pennant-clinching walk-off home run in major league history in a non-playoff regular-season game. He again finished third in National League MVP voting. Henry Aaron Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com Henry Aaron Name Note: commonly referred to as Hank Aaron Positions: Rightfielder and First Baseman Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-0 , 180lb (183cm, 81kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame MVP 25x All-Star 1957 World Series 3x Gold Glove 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. "[90][91], Aaron was Catholic, having converted in 1959 with his family. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. By Alyse Shorland, CNN (CNN) - The night of April 8, 1974, Braves outfielder Hank Aaron hit home-run number 715, broke the record held by the legendary Babe Ruth and became, at that time, the home-run leader in baseball. [32] The 1950s were a period of racial segregation in parts of the United States, especially the southeastern portion of the country. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. [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. [36], In 1954, Aaron attended spring training with the major league club. [11] He won the league's Most Valuable Player Award,[11][18] and had such a dominant year that one sportswriter was prompted to say, "Henry Aaron led the league in everything except hotel accommodations. It was the only inside-the-park home run of his career. Aaron spent his 23-year big league career with two organizations. [64] Babe Ruth's widow, Claire Hodgson, denounced the racism and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record. Well, to believe that you have to accept that Barry Bonds, with 762, didnt cheat to get there. Four days earlier, in Cincinnati, he had homered in his first at-bat of the season to tie Ruth at 714. It was presented during the university's unified commencement ceremony and was accepted on his behalf by his widow Billye. Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record eleven years ago By Jordan Shusterman August 7, 2018 On August 7, 2007, Barry Bonds punctuated his gradual, if inevitable climb to the top of the all-time home run list with an iconic blast to center field at AT&T Park for career home run No. [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. MLB, give him back his home run record. Hank Aaron Significant Home Runs. During his time in Major League Baseball, and especially during his run for the home run record, Aaron and his family endured extensive racist threats. [133], On January 8, 2001, Aaron was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton. [11] He broke his habit of hitting cross-handed and adopted the standard hitting technique. At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power-hitting records. There's a new home run champion of all time, and it's Henry Aaron! Hank Aaron was a tremendous ambassador for baseball, and we can think of one way baseball can honor him in death. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Babe Ruth ended his career with 2,873 hits after 22 seasons. He won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1957 and has a lifetime batting average of .305. On April 8, 1989, California Angels rookie pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, makes his Major League Baseball debut in a 7-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners. In November 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, Governor Roosevelt of New York was elected the 32nd president of the United read more, Jomo Kenyatta, leader of the Kenyan independence movement, is convicted by Kenyas British rulers of leading the extremist Mau Mau in their violence against white settlers and the colonial government. They also painted 44 in the midfield at Truist Park. "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. The 20 home runs Aaron hit in 1974 were the third-most ever by a player 40 or older. Hank Aaron's most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. Braves management wanted Hank to break the record in Atlanta and so they planned to sit him out that first series. Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. Yankees outfielder growing golf profile alongside Tiger Wo 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. [58], Aaron himself downplayed the "chase" to surpass Babe Ruth, while baseball enthusiasts and the national media grew increasingly excited as he closed in on the 714 career home runs record. It was the only time in his career that he hit three home runs in a game. [18] This led Hank Aaron to a major league contract, signed on the final day of spring training, and a Braves uniform with the number five. Aaron went 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts in Atlanta's 5-3 win over the Reds on April 7. That whole period, I lived like a guy in a fishbowl, swimming from side to side with nowhere to go, watching everybody watch me. 2 all-time, died January 22. Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. [83] Aaron founded the Hank Aaron Rookie League program.[84]. By the end of the season, he had performed so well that the league made him the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year. [31], In December 1980, Aaron became senior vice president and assistant to the Braves' president. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. By 1969, his chances of breaking the Babe's record were in sight. While with the Clowns he experienced racism. [11] Although he appeared in just 87 games, he scored 89 runs, had 116 hits, nine home runs, and 61 RBIs. Aaron got his start playing for. If dogs had eaten off those plates, they'd have washed them. Pujols . [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. 762 (Bonds' final homer . "And he'll hit almost anything, so you have to be careful. Aaron singled, doubled, and hit a home run in the game. "[95] Sablica said in an interview that he wouldn't have blamed Aaron if he stopped practicing, and Aaron indeed attended Friendship Baptist Church toward the end of his lifenoting in his autobiography that he didn't remain Catholic for very long after converting. Michael Sablica, with helping him grow as a person in the 1950s. 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). This made him one of the first minorities in Major League Baseball upper-level management. Former home run record-holder and Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron is awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities during commencement for the class of 2011 at Princeton University, in Princeton . [94], Sablica also encouraged him to "attend Mass every Sunday" during Spring Training, to which he responded with the racist realities of the day: "[In Bradenton], they won't let me go to Mass. Though the Korean War was over, people were still being drafted. Aaron owned Hank Aaron BMW of south Atlanta in Union City, Georgia, where he included an autographed baseball with every car sold. [59], Aaron (then age 39) hit 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the 1973 season one home run short of the record. This one has been a long time in the making. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the. He was one of the first African Americans to play in the league. 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. [75] He was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers for Dave May thirty-one days later on November 2. [63], At the end of the 1973 season, Aaron received a plaque from the U.S. [138] Statues of Aaron stand outside the front entrance of both Turner Field and American Family Field. The Dodgers responded in the third by starting with three straight hits: Steve Garvey singled, Bill Russell doubled, and then Downing drove a single into center field, plating Garvey and sending Russell to third. 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. Instead of congratulations, Aaron received mounds of vile, racist and threatening hate mail which helped to ultimately make Aaron a bitter man. Aaron led the league in runs (115), hits (208), doubles (36), RBIs (125), total bases (338), and batting average (.362). Aaron went on to play through the end of the 1976 season, finishing with 755 career home runs, 3,771 hits and 2,297 RBI. On July 13, Aaron hit a home run in the All-Star Game (played at Detroit's Tiger Stadium) for the first time. 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. Henry Aaron, the slugger known as "Hammerin' Hank" who broke broke Babe Ruth's career home run mark and remains No. Actor: MacGyver. He had received many death threats . "He taught me what life was all about. But the Braves offered fifty dollars a month more. During the 2006 season, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth and moved into second place on the all-time home run list, attracting growing media coverage as he drew closer to Aaron's record. His debut generates a buzz throughout the sports world. 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. [124], When the city of Atlanta was converting Centennial Olympic Stadium into a new baseball stadium, many local residents hoped the stadium would be named for Aaron.

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