Braves management wanted Hank to break the record in Atlanta and so they planned to sit him out that first series. [141][142], In November 2015, Aaron was one of the five inaugural recipients of the Portrait of a Nation Prize, an award granted by the National Portrait Gallery in recognition of "exemplary achievements in the fields of civil rights, business, entertainment, science, and sports. He played right field for the Milwaukee Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. Formally entitled a read more. [35] Two days later, one of the children died. 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. [81] Aaron was then named the Braves' vice president and director of player development. [60], He was the recipient of death threats and a large assortment of hate mail during the 19731974 offseason from people who did not want to see Aaron break Ruth's nearly sacrosanct home run record. [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. "[45], Aaron hit .314 with 27 home runs and 106 RBIs, in 1955. Henry Aaron is coming around third. 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. Hank Aaron Home Runs By Season | StatMuse Hank Aaron went yard 13 times in his rookie season in 1954. 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. He started play as a 6ft (180cm), 180lb (82kg) shortstop,[22] and earned $200 per month. The moment became an iconic one, with the indelible image of Hank Aaron rounding the bases, being joined by two fans between second and third, and then mobbed by his teammates and family at home plate, after breaking Babe Ruths home run record in 1974. By 1969, his chances of breaking the Babe's record were in sight. Voters have kept Bonds out of the Baseball Hall of Fame over this scandal, but somehow he retains his home-run record. 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. I was a prisoner in my own apartment. Hank, the superstar outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, was approaching what was then considered the greatest record in sports: the career home-run record of 714, held by the legendary. [18] Aaron was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. Swinging. That record would stand until 2007 when Barry Bonds . 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). His teammates are at home plate. He went on to become one of baseballs first African American executives, with the Atlanta Braves, and a leading spokesperson for minority hiring. The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season. Where Hank Aaron does stand out is in the total number of hits. "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. Aaron reportedly received 930,000 pieces of mail in 1973 the year before he broke Ruths record with enough including threats that the FBI got involved to protect him and his family. [44], Sal Maglie recommended throwing low curveballs to Aaron. Aaron was 34 years, five months, and nine days old. The fireworks are going. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. Actor: MacGyver. If you break Babe Ruth's record, it'll be a disgrace!" Aaron singled, doubled, and hit a home run in the game. At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power-hitting records. [14] His boyhood idol was baseball star Jackie Robinson. In spite of all of the things that I went through Ive always been able to separate the two, Aaron said in a 2014 interview with CNN. [105], Upon Aaron's death, the sports world expressed their condolences to him. [131], In June 2000 Tufts University awarded Aaron an honorary Doctor of Public Service. There's a new home run champion of all time, and it's Henry Aaron! "He's going to swing and he'll go after almost anything," Maglie said of the Braves' slugger. [48], After the 1976 season, Aaron rejoined the Braves as an executive. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [118], In 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. [148], Atlanta-area sports teams planned to honor Aaron during the 2021 seasons. [35], Aaron spent the winter of 1953 playing in Puerto Rico. "[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. 762 (Bonds' final homer . 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. Aaron sold all but the Toyota dealership in McDonough in 2007. [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. [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. Aaron showed awesome skill when, unaided by pharmaceuticals, he broke Babe Ruths seemingly unbreakable record. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the. A few weeks later, his three home runs in the World Series helped his team triumph over the heavily favored New York Yankees. [120] In 1977, Aaron received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award. [31] On January 21, 2007, Major League Baseball announced the sale of the Atlanta Braves. 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. [52] Aaron was, at the time, the second-youngest player to reach the milestone. That same year, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. [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]. Hank Aaron, who hit 755 career home runs in the baseball's . 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 Home run number seven-hundred fourteen (714) tied Babe Ruth and seven-hundred fifteen (715) made Hank Aaron the all-time home . It's gone! [93], In an interview in 1991, Aaron credited the priest, Fr. Aaron has the second most home runs ever? Here's the pitch by Downing. 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? MLB, give him back his home run record. The 20 home runs Aaron hit in 1974 were the third-most ever by a player 40 or older. Aaron was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982, and now works in the front office for the Atlanta Braves. [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. [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. The board appears to have been convinced, as Aaron was not drafted. 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. 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. [23] During this time, he picked up the nickname "pork chops" because it "was the only thing I knew to order off the menu". [28] A teammate later said, "the man ate pork chops three meals a day, two for breakfast". [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. [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. [98] In July 2013, media reported that his home was burglarized with jewelry and two BMW vehicles having been stolen. He finished with 755 overall before retiring after the 1976 season. Another fun one: Aaron started this season at 713 and the Braves opened the season on the road. 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. This All-Star Game, like the first one he played in 1955, was before a home crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium. Hank Aaron Stats. 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.