On December 15, 1957, his wife Barbara gave birth to twins. [100][101], Aaron died in his sleep in his Atlanta residence on January 22, 2021 at the age of 86. Aaron led the league in runs (115), hits (208), doubles (36), RBIs (125), total bases (338), and batting average (.362). He won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1957 and has a lifetime batting average of .305. 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). Aaron begins 1974 season by tying The Babe - Home | Baseball Hall of Fame harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBraunsteinWolpin2006 (, Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 14:06, List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball batting champions, List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders, List of Major League Baseball doubles records, List of Major League Baseball home run records, List of Major League Baseball individual streaks, List of Major League Baseball runs batted in records, "For single seasons, From 1876 to 2008, (requiring HR30), sorted by greatest Seasons matching criteria", "For single seasons, From 1876 to 2008, (requiring H150), sorted by greatest Seasons matching criteria", "Hank Aaron's searing words on the racism he faced should never be forgotten", "Hank Aaron: Baseball icon and civil rights activist dies aged 86", Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation 2013, "Dunbar Creative And Performing Arts Magnet School", "This date in Braves history: Hank Aaron's only inside-the-park homer", "Vin Scully's Call of Hank Aaron's 715th Home Run", "Aaron Gets Reception, Mets Get Trounced, 81", "The Braves Trade Henry Aaron to the Brewers", "July 15, 1975: In Milwaukee, NL wins fourth straight All-Star Game", "Game Over for Liberty's Purchase of Braves from Time Warner", "Braves' Sale Approved by Baseball Owners", "Charles Schwab Super Bowl XXXVI ad feat. 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? 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. "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. [10], Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama, to Herbert Aaron Sr. and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron. The Atlanta Braves great, who smashed Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, died Jan. 22. It was the only time in his career that he hit three home runs in a game. Hank Aaron's Accomplishments. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Two score and seven years ago, the great Hank Aaron delivered one of the most iconic moments American sports and baseball history. 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. [61] The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. [48] He batted .322, placing third, and led the league in home runs and runs batted in. That whole period, I lived like a guy in a fishbowl, swimming from side to side with nowhere to go, watching everybody watch me. He again finished third in National League MVP voting. Aaron finished third in the MVP race and he received his first of three Gold Glove Awards. Hank Aaron Significant Home Runs. Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers | Hank Aaron | Smithsonian He went on to become one of baseballs first African American executives, with the Atlanta Braves, and a leading spokesperson for minority hiring. And listen to this crowd![69]. Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who battled racial prejudice and hatred on his way to breaking the major leagues' career home run record, has died at the age of 86, the Atlanta . [23] On June 12, 1952, Aaron signed with Braves' scout Dewey Griggs. Hank Aaron Home Runs By Season | StatMuse CBS 46 and FOX 5 Atlanta were among those that first reported Aaron's death Friday. But two other men were enshrined in history with him - Clifford Courtenay and Britt Gaston. Even as a kid, the irony of it hit me: here we were in the capital in the land of freedom and equality, and they had to destroy the plates that had touched the forks that had been in the mouths of black men. "He's going to swing and he'll go after almost anything," Maglie said of the Braves' slugger. Hank Aaron hits home run No. Hank Aaron, former MLB home run king, dead at 86 | Fox News [29], The Braves assigned Aaron to the Eau Claire Bears, the Braves' Northern League Class-C farm team. [11] Although Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner nearly went over the outfield fence trying to catch it, the ball flew into the Braves' bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it. 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. Robinson, who also bats second, homers in his first at-bat in Cleveland's 5-3 win. 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. Serving from 1979 to 1990, Thatcher was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. 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. Hank Aaron. They were students, just 17 at the time. On June 21, 1959, against the San Francisco Giants, he hit three two-run home runs. Hank Aaron, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died Friday at age 86. 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. What a horrible sound. Many current or former athletes and team owners such as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Magic Johnson, David Ortiz, Dusty Baker, Eduardo Prez, Mike Trout, and Baseball Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark paid tribute to him. 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 the fourth inning, Aaron hit home run number 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. Hank Aaron and the Home Run Record - University Of Northern Iowa 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. The night Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record 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 . 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. He keeps that mail as a reminder. Henry Aaron hits home run No. 715 | Baseball Hall of Fame Aaron suffered from arthritis and had a partial hip replacement after a fall in 2014. [11] In addition, Aaron hit for a .336 batting average. During the 1936 season, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees terrorized the Cleveland Indians by slamming fourteen home runs against the club a Major League record for most home runs against the same team in a season. Active in the civil rights movement, the priest encouraged Aaron to be more publicly vocal about causes he believed in. [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. [32] The 1950s were a period of racial segregation in parts of the United States, especially the southeastern portion of the country. [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. 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. Hank Aaron Dead: Baseball Legend Who Broke Babe Ruth's Home Run Record While with the Clowns he experienced racism. In 1974, Hank Aaron surpassed that mark, and then held the milestone for 33 years. Say it: Hank Aaron is the real home-run champion