"use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But for Aaron, the journey to 715 home runs was much more complex. [128] The award honors the best overall offensive performer in the American and National League. 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. "And he'll hit almost anything, so you have to be careful. Im proud of the home run record, but I dont talk about it because it brings back too many unpleasant memories.. 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. Lucy says in the August 11 strip, "Hank Aaron is a great player but you! [86] After Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run on August 7, 2007, Aaron made a surprise appearance on the JumboTron video screen at AT&T Park in San Francisco to congratulate Bonds on his accomplishment: I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on becoming baseball's career home run leader. Hank Aaron was a Major League Baseball player that is considered by many the greatest baseball player ever. On October 6, Aaron and Lucas married. For three decades the baseball player Hank Aaron, who has died aged 86, held the record for hitting more home runs - 755 - than anyone in major league history, and will be remembered in. 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, Scully said. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.[1]. He started play as a 6ft (180cm), 180lb (82kg) shortstop,[22] and earned $200 per month. [11] While on the Bears, Aaron earned $3 per game ($30 today), which was a dollar more than he got while on the Athletics. [120] In 1977, Aaron received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award. Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron, the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball's attic? As a result, in 1949, at the age of 15, Aaron had his first tryout with an MLB franchise, the Brooklyn Dodgers; however, he did not make the team. It is as of yet the only pennant-clinching walk-off home run in major league history in a non-playoff regular-season game. Additionally, Aaron owned a chain of 30 restaurants around the country. The fireworks are going. on April 8th, 1974 he hit his 715th home run, which broke the then record of 714 held by Babe Ruth. [126], He was honored before the third game of 2021 World Series. He keeps that mail as a reminder. It was the only inside-the-park home run of his career. Aaron sold all but the Toyota dealership in McDonough in 2007. I kept feeling more and more strongly that I had to break the record not only for myself and for Jackie Robinson and for black people, but also to strike back at the vicious little people who wanted to keep me from doing it. We've received your submission. 756. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams.[87]. 2 all-time, died January 22. His debut generates a buzz throughout the sports world. On April 27, 1971, Aaron hit his 600th career home run, the third major league player ever to do so. [81] Aaron was then named the Braves' vice president and director of player development. We've received your submission. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta and was therefore going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. He had received many death threats . He was 86. On January 5, 2021, Aaron publicly received a COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine[99] at the Morehouse School of Medicine at Atlanta, Georgia. He had been given six months to live in December of 1984 but defied expectations and lived for five more years, during which time his story helped educate the read more, On April 8, 1993, the space shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center. Aaron broke Ruths record on April 8, 1974 at Atlantas Fulton County Stadium against Al Downing and the Dodgers. During his stay in Puerto Rico, Owen also helped Aaron transition from second base to the outfield. Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball's former home-run king and a cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves franchise, died on Friday. The high-profile incident drew worldwide attention to the problem of piracy, commonly believed to be a thing of read more, On April 8, 1990, 18-year-old Ryan White dies of pneumonia, due to having contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Aaron has the second most home runs ever? Voters have kept Bonds out of the Baseball Hall of Fame over this scandal, but somehow he retains his home-run record. He had finished 1973 with 713 career home runs, one shy of the all-time record set by Babe Ruth. 756 to Break Aaron's Record", "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Hank Aaron praises Barry Bonds for home run record", "Craig Sager's backstory more colorful than his clothes", "Police recover both of Hank Aaron's stolen cars after Atlanta home burglarized", "Milo Hamilton made Hank Aaron's homer itself star of No. 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. 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. He was one of the first African Americans to play in the league. [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). [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, known as hard working and quiet, was the last Negro league player to also compete in the Major Leagues. As Aaron hammered closer to Ruth's 714 home runs, he . Aaron . 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. Postal Service for receiving more mail (930,000 pieces) than any person excluding politicians. The attack would result in the breaking of German defensive lines in just four days, eventually sending read more, North Vietnamese 2nd Division troops drive out of Laos and Cambodia to open a third front of their offensive in the Central Highlands, attacking at Kontum and Pleiku in an attempt to cut South Vietnam in two. READ MORE: When Hank Aaron Passed the Babe, Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruths all-time home run record, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/aaron-sets-new-home-run-record. During his career, Aaron performed at a consistently high level for an extended period of time. [110][111], US President Joe Biden paid tribute to Aaron by releasing a statement calling him "an American hero". Aaron suffered from arthritis and had a partial hip replacement after a fall in 2014. Although he was on the roster of its farm club, Milwaukee manager Charley Grimm later stated, "From the start, he did so well I knew we were going to have to carry him. Hank Aaron's Accomplishments. 755", "Bonds Hits No. The last Negro League player to enter the Majors, Aaron joined the Milwaukee Braves in 1954, and moved with them to Atlanta in 1966. [9] In 1982, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. [59], Aaron (then age 39) hit 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the 1973 season one home run short of the record. They also painted 44 in the midfield at Truist Park. On April 4, Opening Day, a 39-year-old Aaron sent the very first pitch he saw over the wall,. [11] Helped by Aaron's performance, the Braves won the league championship that year. [71] Aaron commented after the game that it was his last time as a player in Atlanta as his contract had expired. 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. [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. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. His teammates are at home plate. Henry Aaron is coming around third. [51], During his days in Atlanta, Aaron reached several milestones; he was only the eighth player ever to hit 500 career home runs, with his 500th coming against Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants on July 14, 1968exactly one year after former Milwaukee Braves teammate Eddie Mathews had hit his 500th. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [54] Aaron established the record for most seasons with thirty or more home runs in the National League. Hank Greenberg, 1938 Tigers: 58; Jimmie Foxx, 1932 Athletics: 58; . His RBI total remains the big league standard for career runs batted in. 06-14-1952 | Aaron is signed by Boston Braves as a slick fielding second baseman and wins the Northern . He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career. That's the only thing that kept Willie Mays and me from being teammates fifty dollars.[24]. He was with the Braves from 1954 to 1974first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta, when the franchise moved in 1966and closed it out with two seasons back in Milwaukee for the Brewers. He was 86. She curbed the power of Britains labor read more, On April 8, 1935, Congress votes to approve the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a central part of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal. Aaron's first marriage was to Barbara Lucas in 1953. It's gone! [11] The 1952 season proved to be very beneficial for Aaron. He didnt know what he was taking, he testified, and thought it was all natural. The award was created to honor Vince Lombardi's legacy and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the coach. Aaron clobbered his 715th career home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves and passed Babe Ruth to become baseball's all-time home run king.. For fans of Major League Baseball in the 1970s, Henry Aaron's superhero-like home run did a lot of things. On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth 's legendary record of 714 homers. 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. [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. About 755HomeRuns.com. [39] Aaron hit his first major league home run on April 23, also off Raschi. [35] In 1958, Aaron's wife noted that during the off-season he liked "to sit and watch those shooting westerns". [35], Aaron spent the winter of 1953 playing in Puerto Rico. 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. 714. Lewis Grizzard, then-executive sports editor of The Atlanta Journal, reported receiving numerous phone calls calling journalists "nigger lovers" for covering Aaron's chase. to 483 B.C. 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. 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. Years later, Aaron remembered: I had the Giants' contract in my hand. [151] In May of the same year, Tulane University gave Aaron a posthumous honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, the first posthumous honorary degree ever awarded by the university. 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. Listen to HISTORY This Week Podcast: More Than a Home Run. (The NBA's Atlanta Hawks had previously retired No. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron (44) breaks Babe Ruth's record for career home runs as he hits his 715th off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in the fourth inning of the game opener at Atlanta . Although he batted cross-handed (as a right-handed hitter, with his left hand above his right), Aaron established himself as a power hitter. This one has been a long time in the making. 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. Hank Aaron Timeline. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. Sports Illustrated pointedly summarized the racist vitriol that Aaron was forced to endure: Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport? But Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two games in the first series. This is wrong. If you break Babe Ruth's record, it'll be a disgrace!" Aaron was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982, and now works in the front office for the Atlanta Braves. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. They were students, just 17 at the time. [11][12] He had seven siblings. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. [d] On July 31, 1969, Aaron hit his 537th home run, passing Mickey Mantle's total; this moved Aaron into third place on the career home run list, after Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Instead of congratulations, Aaron received mounds of vile, racist and threatening hate mail which helped to ultimately make Aaron a bitter man. He would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets. Baseball legend Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record, has died, the Atlanta Braves announced Friday. "[143][144], In January 2016, Aaron received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from Akihito, the Emperor of Japan. [138] Statues of Aaron stand outside the front entrance of both Turner Field and American Family Field. He led the Braves to another pennant, but this time they lost a seven-game World Series to the Yankees. Hank Aaron & Barry Bonds Retirement (2002)", "Hank Aaron, Home Run King Who Defied Racism, Dies at 86", "Famous Religious Conversions Hank Aaron", "Baseball's home run king Hank Aaron fought racism on and off the field", "Hall of Famer Hank Aaron's death unrelated to Covid-19 vaccination", "Health experts urge confidence in vaccine after superstar's death", "Baseball legend Hank Aaron got virus vaccine earlier in January", "Hall of Famer Henry "Hank" Aaron dies at 86", "Hank Aaron, baseball legend and former home run king, dies at 86", "Private funeral service for Hank Aaron announced", "Tributes pour in honoring the legendary Hank Aaron", "Players, celebrities and fans react to the death of baseball legend Hank Aaron", "Gov. Henry Louis Aaron Jr., born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 5, 1934, made his Major League debut in 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves, just seven years after Jackie Robinson broke baseballs color barrier and became the first African American to play in the majors. Henry Aaron, the slugger known as "Hammerin' Hank" who broke broke Babe Ruth's career home run mark and remains No. Ochoa started at NASA in 1988 after receiving a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford read more, Eric Rudolph agrees to plead guilty to a series of bombings, including the fatal bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, in order to avoid the death penalty. [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.