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. [137], Aaron dedicated the new exhibit "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream" at the Baseball Hall of Fame on April 25, 2009. 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. On December 15, 1957, his wife Barbara gave birth to twins. [68] As the fans cheered wildly, Aaron's parents ran onto the field as well. He finished the 1973 season with 713 home runs -. [52] Aaron was, at the time, the second-youngest player to reach the milestone. They were students, just 17 at the time. [2] Aaron is also third all-time for career hits (3,771) and fifth in runs scored (2,174). He was one of the first African Americans to play in the league. [123] In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Aaron on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. Google Barry Bonds before and after and tell us thats all moms cooking. [32] The 1950s were a period of racial segregation in parts of the United States, especially the southeastern portion of the country. 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 The game was also broadcast nationally on NBC. We've received your submission. "[23] On March 13, 1954, Milwaukee Braves left fielder Bobby Thomson fractured his ankle while sliding into second base during a spring training game. [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. He was 86. 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. [54] Aaron established the record for most seasons with thirty or more home runs in the National League. 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. Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record in 1974 despite enduring racism and went on to hit 755 homers in a 23-year career. [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. All that hatred left a deep scar on me. 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. 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 RBI total remains the big league standard for career runs batted in. [19] After this, Aaron returned to school to finish his secondary education, attending the Josephine Allen Institute, a private high school in Alabama. That same year, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. Cobains suicide brought an end to a life marked by far more read more, Who killed Laura Palmer? was the question on everyones mind on the night of April 8, 1990, when David Lynchs surreal television drama Twin Peaks premiered on ABC. He would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets. [46][47] In 1956, Aaron hit .328 and captured the first of two NL batting titles. Hank Aaron Home Runs By Season | StatMuse Hank Aaron went yard 13 times in his rookie season in 1954. He finished with 755 overall before retiring after the 1976 season. [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). [102][103][104], His funeral was held on January 27, followed by his burial at South-View Cemetery. on April 8th, 1974 he hit his 715th home run, which broke the then record of 714 held by Babe Ruth. By 1969, his chances of breaking the Babe's record were in sight. During his junior year, Aaron joined the Prichard Athletics, an independent Negro league team,[20] followed by the Mobile Black Bears, another independent Negro league team. He again finished third in National League MVP voting. 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. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career. [35] In 1958, Aaron's wife noted that during the off-season he liked "to sit and watch those shooting westerns". 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. The cars were later recovered.[98]. A young Craig Sager actually interviewed Aaron between third and home for a television station, WXLT (now WWSB-Channel 40) in Sarasota. Here's how Duane Kuiper called the historic moment: Before Bonds, Aaron had held the record since April 8, 1974, when he hit his. 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. [93], In an interview in 1991, Aaron credited the priest, Fr. 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. He could run, too: He retired with 240 career steals and was only the third player,. But the Braves offered fifty dollars a month more. He played two out of three and tied Babe Ruth's record on April 4, 1974, in his very first at-bat on his first swing of the seasonoff Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series.[66]. 714. 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. [120] In 1977, Aaron received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award. (The NBA's Atlanta Hawks had previously retired No. Research is still ongoing and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. Baseball's all-time home run king, Hank Aaron did more than hit home runs. [134] He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in June 2002. In 1957, with characteristically little fanfare, Aaron, who primarily played right field, was named the National Leagues Most Valuable Player as the Milwaukee Braves won the pennant. [152][153], MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962. Hank Aaron, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died Friday at age 86. It was presented during the university's unified commencement ceremony and was accepted on his behalf by his widow Billye. I resented it, and I still resent it. 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. It should have been the most enjoyable time in my life, and instead it was hell. [115], At Game 3 of the 2021 World Series in Truist Park, a pregame ceremony was held honoring Aaron where his son Hank Aaron Jr. threw out a ceremonial first pitch. CBS 46 and FOX 5 Atlanta were among those that first reported Aaron's death Friday. Thanks for contacting us. In most circumstances, the team was responsible for arranging housing and meals for its players, but Aaron often had to make his own arrangements. He had finished 1973 with 713 career home runs, one shy of the all-time record set by Babe Ruth. 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. Aaron singled, doubled, and hit a home run in the game. 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. Politicians also paid tribute to him. He divorced Barbara in 1971 and married Billye Suber Williams on November 13, 1973. [11] On September 23, 1957, in Milwaukee, Aaron hit a two-run walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals, clinching the pennant for the Braves. Lucy says in the August 11 strip, "Hank Aaron is a great player but you! 4/8/74: Vin Scully calls Hank Aaron's milestone home run as he passes Babe Ruth for the most career home runs when he slugs his 715th homerCheck out http://m. to 483 B.C. [18] Aaron was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. On May 1, 1975, Aaron broke baseball's all-time RBI record, previously held by Ruth with 2,213. [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. Aaron was 34 years, five months, and nine days 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. 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. A few weeks later, his three home runs in the World Series helped his team triumph over the heavily favored New York Yankees. About 755HomeRuns.com. During the next several years, Aaron had some of his best games and best seasons as a major league player. [33] The Braves' manager, Ben Geraghty, tried his best to help Aaron on and off the field. [5] His experiences fueled his activism during the civil rights movement.[6]. During the strike-shortened season of 1972, Aaron tied and then surpassed Willie Mays for second place on the career home run list. [19], On November 20, 1951, baseball scout Ed Scott signed Aaron to a contract on behalf of the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League, where he played for three months.[21]. Playing off the intense interest in their perceived rivalry, Aaron and Bonds made a television commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLI, shortly before the start of the 2007 baseball season, in which Aaron jokingly tried to persuade Bonds to retire before breaking the record. 756. "Maybe I was unnerved by all the attention," read more, On April 8, 1975, against the New York Yankees in Cleveland, the Indians' Frank Robinson becomes the first African American to manage a game in Major League Baseball. Hank Aaron, who hit 755 career home runs in the baseball's . 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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. 02-05-1934 | Aaron is born on a Monday in Mobile, Alabama. [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. 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
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