Tag: Henry Aaron

April 8 – Aaron passes Ruth

APRIL 8, 1974 | ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Henry Aaron saved the best for the home town crowd. Four days after tying Babe Ruth‘s career home run record of 714 on the road in Cincinnati, Hammerin Hank broke the record before hysterical Atlanta Braves‘ fans at Fulton County Coliseum. He hit the 715th home run of his career off Los Angeles Dodger hurler Al Downing. April 8, 1974 Aaron passes Ruth.

Aaron would go on the hit 755 home runs for his career. He hit the last 22 playing in the city where he made his major league debut. He played the 1975 and 1976 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The term "home run" was originally a descriptive one. In the early days of baseball, fences were generally farther out than they are today. The batter had to literally run home before being tagged out to hit a "home run."

Babe Ruth held the career home run record for 53 years, the longest of any player. Here’s a list of the career home run record breakers and total home runs the new record-holder finished that year with.

Year  Player       HRs 
2007 Barry Bonds   762
1974 Henry Aaron   733
1921 Babe Ruth     162
1895 Roger Connor  124
1889 Harry Stovey  89
1887 Dan Brouthers 74
1885 Harry Stovey  50
1883 Charley Jones 33
1882 Jim O'Rourke  24
1881 Charley Jones 23
1879 Lip Pike      20
TOP TEN CAREER HOME-RUNS
1.  Barry Bonds     762
2.  Henry Aaron     755
3.  Babe Ruth       714
4.  Alex Rodriguez  696
5.  Willie Mays     660
6.  Ken Griffey Jr, 630
9.  Albert Pujols   615
7.  Jim Thome       612
8.  Sammy Sosa      609
10. Frank Robinson  586

The term “home run” was originally a descriptive one. In the early days of baseball, fences were generally farther out than they are today, so hitting a ball over the fence was rare. Inside-the-park home runs were more common because outfielders had more ground to cover. The batter had to literally run home before being tagged out to hit a “home run.” With home run number 715 on this date in 1974, Aaron passed Ruth. On only one of the 755 home runs did Aaron have to run as fast as he could.

Contributing sources:
Henry Aaron in the Hall of Fame
Career home run record holders

A STORY FROM APRIL 4 – MOVE OVER, BABE, HERE COMES HENRY

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US TO CINCINNATI, OHIO, APRIL 4, 1974. Hank Aaron didn’t waste time. In the first inning of the first game of the 1974 season the Atlanta Braves outfielder hit a 3-run homer off Cincinnati Reds starter Jack Billingham to tie Babe Ruth with 714 career home runs. Move over, Babe, here comes Henry.

It was only a matter of time before Aaron broke the record. Despite Aaron’s heroics, the Reds beat the Braves 7-6.

There’s an interesting side-light to this story. Atlanta Braves management wanted Aaron to break the record at home. They planned to sit him for the first three games of the season in Cincinnati. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn wouldn’t have it, and ruled that Aaron had to play two out of three.

The rest is history. Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s record in his very first at bat and, fortunately for the Braves, didn’t hit another home run in the series. So, the Braves returned home with the anticipation of Aaron breaking the record in front of the home crowd, which he did four days later.

Henry Aaron retired in 1976. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. He is the only player in major league history to hit at least 20 home runs in 20 seasons. On this date in 1974 it was – move over Babe, here comes Henry.

Piece of trivia: Who was Sandy Koufax’s first strike out? Hank Aaron.

A STORY FROM MARCH 13 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – A NASTY BREAK FOR A VETERAN OPENS THE DOOR FOR A FUTURE SUPERSTAR

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US TO ST. PETERSBERG, FLORIDA MARCH 13, 1954. A nasty break for a veteran opened the door for a future superstar on this date in 1954. It was an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. Milwaukee Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson was trying to beat a throw to second base. The former New York Giant , who hit “the shot heard round the world,” in October of ’51, slid awkwardly and broke his ankle in three places.

Thomson would be out of the lineup until July. Put into the lineup was a skinny, 20-year old kid from Mobile, Alabama by the name of Henry Louis Aaron . He would be a regular in the Braves outfield for the next 21 years (He played 2 more years for the Milwaukee Brewers).

With Thomson’s injury many thought the Braves were out of the 1954 pennant race. Sportswriter Henry McCormick wrote, “With him [Thomson] may go the Braves’ hopes of staying in the thick of the pennant fight.” But the Braves stayed in the ‘54 race almost until the end. They were only four games out on September 15th, finishing 8 games out in third place, 89-65. Aaron played 122 games, hit .280 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI.

Hammerin Hank would become and remain the home run king (755) until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007. Aaron remains the all-time RBI leader (2,297). He was voted to 25 all-star games (they used to play two each season). Aaron would have eventually found his way into the Braves lineup, but he got a little push on this date because of Bobby Thomson’s tough break.

Contributing sources:
Bobby Thomson
Wisconsin State Journal, March 14, 1954, by Henry McCormick,
1954 NL pennant race

FEB 5: The King is born

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY TAKES US BACK TO  MOBILE, ALABAMA IN 1934.  That was the day Henry Aaron was born. He would become major league baseball’s all-time home-run king in 1974 when he eclipsed Babe Ruth‘s record of 714.

Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs. Barry Bonds broke Aaron’s record in 2007, tainted, however, by allegations of steroid use.

Henry Aaron, not unlike his unassuming demeanor, quietly set many major league records and is among the leaders of many more. Here are some as compiled by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR):

Most seasons with at least 20 HRs            20 (1st)
Most career RBI                                              2,297 (1st)
Most career extra base hits                        1,477 (1st)
Most career total bases                                6,856 (1st)
Most seasons at least 100 runs scored     15 (1st)
Most career home runs                                 755 (2nd)
Most career hits                                               3,771 (3rd)
Most career runs                                             2,174 (4th)
Most career at-bats                                       12,364 (2nd)
Most seasons at least 100 RBI                     11 (4th)
Most career games                                         3,298 (3rd)

It’s also remarkable, considering he was the all-time HR king for almost 40 years, the lists Aaron is not on:
Most seasons with at least 60 HRs             0
Most seasons with at least 50 HRs             0

Henry Aaron was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Contributing sources:
MLB batting leaderboards, Baseball-Reference
More on Hank Aaron

May 31-Legends meet in Milwaukee

1975 | MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – Baseball generations were bridged in dramatic fashion at Milwaukee County Stadium on this date in 1975. The Brewers were hosting the Kansas City Royals. Hank Aaron, in a Brewer uniform, was in his 22 major league baseball season, as was Harmon Killebrew, in a Royals uniform.

Also in Royals blue was pitcher Lindy McDaniel, in his 21st season. Playing shortstop for the Brewers was a tall slender, curly haired 19-year old named Robin Yount. Aaron, Killebrew and McDaniel all started playing major league baseball before Yount was born.

Aaron and Killebrew were at the ends of Hall of Fame careers. Yount was at the beginning of one. He would end up in Cooperstown twenty-four years later.

Yount would be American League MVP as a shortstop in 1982, the year the Brewers went to the World Series. He would be MVP a second time in 1989, as a centerfielder. One of only three players in baseball history to win the MVP at two positions. The others were Stan Musial and Hank Greenberg.

The ever modest Yount was probably in awe being on the same field with those legends back in 1975, but he went on to prove he belonged.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
Koppett’s Concise History of Major League Baseball, by Leonard Koppett, 2004