Braves' public relations director Don Davidson, observing Aaron's quiet, reserved nature, began referring to him publicly as "Hank" in order to suggest more accessibility. The total base record is remarkable in context: at the time of his retirement, he had travelled over 12 miles farther on the base paths than any other player in MLB history. 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 Obituary: Hank Aaron, baseball great who became voice for civil rights, dies at 86 Photos: The life and . The moment is still frozen in time: Hank Aaron rounding the bases after hitting his record 715th home run when, suddenly, two young fans ran up from behind to pat him on the shoulder. [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. After his retirement, Aaron held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including the senior vice president. 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. "[90][91], Aaron was Catholic, having converted in 1959 with his family. The Braves returned to Atlanta, and on April 8, 1974, a crowd of 53,775 people showed up for the gamea Braves attendance record. He led the league with 44 home runs and 130 RBIs and finished third in batting average. The next day, he made history back home. 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. Actor: MacGyver. Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, dies in London at age 87 from a stroke on April 8, 2013. Here's how Duane Kuiper called the historic moment: Before Bonds, Aaron had held the record since April 8, 1974, when he hit his. 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. Bonds denied the allegations, then later argued ignorance. He played right field for the Milwaukee Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. Hank. All Rights Reserved. Although Hammerin Hank specialized in home runs, he was also an extremely dependable batter, and by the end of his career he held baseballs career record for most runs batted in: 2,297. [70], On October 2, 1974, Aaron hit his 733rd home run in his last at-bat as a Braves player. Entdecke Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America Paperback Tom St in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball's former home-run king and a cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves franchise, died on Friday. He had finished 1973 with 713 career home runs, one shy of the all-time record set by Babe Ruth. 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. Another fun one: Aaron started this season at 713 and the Braves opened the season on the road. [39] Aaron hit his first major league home run on April 23, also off Raschi. In 1986, Hank Aaron made a guest appearance in "Just Another Fox in the Crowd", episode 30 of Crazy Like a Fox. [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. [35] Two days later, one of the children died. [65] As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the record caused a small controversy. [28] A teammate later said, "the man ate pork chops three meals a day, two for breakfast". Aaron spent his 23-year big league career with two organizations. Baseball legend Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record, has died, the Atlanta Braves announced Friday. Aaron showed awesome skill when, unaided by pharmaceuticals, he broke Babe Ruths seemingly unbreakable record. The fireworks are going. 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. [61] The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. Henry Aaron is coming around third. (The NBA's Atlanta Hawks had previously retired No. Where Hank Aaron does stand out is in the total number of hits. 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. The Arthur Blank-owned Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, along with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have plans during their 2021 seasons to reserve 44 for Aaron. [88] Aaron also owned Mini, Land Rover, Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda dealerships throughout Georgia, as part of the Hank Aaron Automotive Group. 762 (Bonds' final homer . About 755HomeRuns.com. 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 [11] In addition, Aaron hit for a .336 batting average. Aaron sold all but the Toyota dealership in McDonough in 2007. [37] On April 13, Aaron made his major league debut and was hitless in five at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds' left-hander Joe Nuxhall. 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. "[31] Aaron's time with the Braves did not come without problems. [44], Sal Maglie recommended throwing low curveballs to Aaron. He started play as a 6ft (180cm), 180lb (82kg) shortstop,[22] and earned $200 per month. [46][47] In 1956, Aaron hit .328 and captured the first of two NL batting titles. [118], In 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. On July 13, Aaron hit a home run in the All-Star Game (played at Detroit's Tiger Stadium) for the first time. [59], Aaron (then age 39) hit 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the 1973 season one home run short of the record. He was 86. Hank Aaron's most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. That same year, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. [74] Playing in the American League would allow Aaron to serve as a designated hitter rather than play in the field. 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. Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. We've received your submission. [19] After this, Aaron returned to school to finish his secondary education, attending the Josephine Allen Institute, a private high school in Alabama. However, some observers looked back on Aaron's personal history, pointing out that he had downplayed his own breaking of Babe Ruth's all-time record and suggesting Aaron was simply treating Bonds in a similar fashion. To many baseball fans, it won't matter, Hank Aaron is the home run . Pujols . If you break Babe Ruth's record, it'll be a disgrace!" A seven-time NL MVP, the 43-year-old Bonds hit his 22nd home run of the year. Well, to believe that you have to accept that Barry Bonds, with 762, didnt cheat to get there. Lucy says in the August 11 strip, "Hank Aaron is a great player but you! With his second wife, he had one child, Ceci. Hank Aaron's Accomplishments. [145], On April 14, 2017, Aaron threw out the first pitch at SunTrust Park (now called Truist Park) at 83 years old. [11] Tommie Aaron, one of his brothers, also went on to play Major League Baseball. [31] He was the corporate vice president of community relations for Turner Broadcasting System, a member of the company's board of directors, and the vice president of business development for The Airport Network. He again finished third in National League MVP voting. I was a prisoner in my own apartment. [134] He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in June 2002. But it was Hammerin' Hank's sweet home run swing for which he was best known. They were also the first siblings to appear in a League Championship Series as teammates.[13]. [83] Aaron founded the Hank Aaron Rookie League program.[84]. [4] By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last former Negro league baseball player on a major league roster. 714. But for Aaron, the journey to 715 home runs was much more complex. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. [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. 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. That same year, baseball fans named Aaron to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. 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. This is a considerable loss for the entire city of Atlanta. [36], In 1954, Aaron attended spring training with the major league club. 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. 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. [126], He was honored before the third game of 2021 World Series. [11] The 1952 season proved to be very beneficial for Aaron. [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. He later cited his anti-abortion and anti-homosexual views as motivation for the bombings. Here's the pitch by Downing. He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. 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. He was one of the first African Americans to play in the league. CBS 46 and FOX 5 Atlanta were among those that first reported Aaron's death Friday. [116][117] After the Braves won the 2021 World Series, Aaron was honored in the design of the team's World Series championship ring, which includes 755 total diamonds to commemorate Aaron's career home runs, and 44 emerald-cut diamonds to represent Aaron's jersey number with the Braves. 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. ", "There was a big catch holding on to No. In 1974, after tying Ruth on Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio, Aaron came home with his team. 0:00. 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. He added 22 more in 1975 and 1976, finally calling it a career with 755 career home runs. 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. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ken Severson [136], In 2002, Aaron was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. [29], The Braves assigned Aaron to the Eau Claire Bears, the Braves' Northern League Class-C farm team. Hank Aaron Significant Home Runs. "[23] On March 13, 1954, Milwaukee Braves left fielder Bobby Thomson fractured his ankle while sliding into second base during a spring training game. 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. [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]. 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. Although he batted cross-handed (as a right-handed hitter, with his left hand above his right), Aaron established himself as a power hitter. Bonds is the all-time home run leader: He hit those 762 balls over the fence, a majority of them unenhanced by chemists, all of them a testament to his skill, strength and determination. 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? The award was created to honor Vince Lombardi's legacy and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the coach. This All-Star Game, like the first one he played in 1955, was before a home crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium. "He taught me what life was all about. 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. (Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) Aaron hit 40 home runs in the 1973 season, bringing his career total to 713, one run short of the record. Hank Aaron, who hit 755 career home runs in the baseball's . [52] Aaron was, at the time, the second-youngest player to reach the milestone. A young Craig Sager actually interviewed Aaron between third and home for a television station, WXLT (now WWSB-Channel 40) in Sarasota. 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 . [137], Aaron dedicated the new exhibit "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream" at the Baseball Hall of Fame on April 25, 2009. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career. [7] He was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for one season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25),[a] while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. All that hatred left a deep scar on me. Playing in the infield, Aaron continued to develop as a ballplayer and made the Northern League's All-Star team. 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. [15] Aaron attended Central High School[b] as a freshman and a sophomore. Aaron attended the dedication. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. [112][113] He also received tributes from former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Aaron was 34 years, five months, and nine days old. 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? [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. 44 for Pete Maravich. Aaron's first marriage was to Barbara Lucas in 1953. [127], On February 5, 1999, at his 65th birthday celebration, Major League Baseball announced the introduction of the Hank Aaron Award. Aaron was known to frequently read Thomas Kempis' 15th-century book The Imitation of Christ, which he kept in his locker. [23] On June 12, 1952, Aaron signed with Braves' scout Dewey Griggs. "A grand jury, a tell-all book and a congressional committee have combined to form a major-league needle puncturing baseball's public image" , reported Chris Jenkins of USA Today in 'Players Admit Steroids Changed Baseball' (USA Today, 03/15/2005) Between February 17, 2005 and March 9, 2005 five-hundred . Google Barry Bonds before and after and tell us thats all moms cooking. A 6-foot, 180-pounder, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's hallowed home run mark on April 8, 1974, slugging his record 715th off . What a horrible sound. He also enjoyed cooking and fishing. [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. The game was also broadcast nationally on NBC. Two score and seven years ago, the great Hank Aaron delivered one of the most iconic moments American sports and baseball history. 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. Hank Aaron, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died Friday at age 86. He broke the long-standing MLB record for home runs held by Babe Ruth and remained the career leader for 33 years. Hank Greenberg, 1938 Tigers: 58; Jimmie Foxx, 1932 Athletics: 58; . Im proud of the home run record, but I dont talk about it because it brings back too many unpleasant memories.. ", "Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players", "Aaron to throw out first pitch at All-Star Game", "President Bush Announces the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom", "About Carson Park: Eau Claire, Wisconsin", "Aaron receives honorary degree from Princeton", "Portrait of Nation Prize Winner: Hank Aaron", "National Portrait Gallery Honors Aretha Franklin, Carolina Herrera, Hank Aaron", "Hank Aaron presented with Order of the Rising Sun", "Hank Aaron throws out 1st pitch at SunTrust Park", "MLB renames developmental program after Hank Aaron", "Georgia Tech football to retire Hank Aaron's number 44 for 2021 season", "Hank Aaron replaces Confederate general in school name", "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022", "Sports stars of Alabama: Where are they now? [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. His RBI total remains the big league standard for career runs batted in. [150], In 2022, a recording of the WSB broadcast of the April 8, 1974, BravesDodgers game in which Aaron hit his 715th home run was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry. 02-05-1934 | Aaron is born on a Monday in Mobile, Alabama. By the time Aaron retired, he and his brother held the record for most career home runs by a pair of siblings (768). He won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1957 and has a lifetime batting average of .305. [25] Aaron received an outpouring of public support in response to the bigotry. [22] On August 1, 1982, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, having received votes on 97.8 percent of the ballots, second only to Ty Cobb, who had received votes on 98.2% of the ballot in the inaugural 1936 Hall of Fame election. He was 86 years old. Coincidentally, Snoopy was only one home run short of tying the record (and finished the season as such when Charlie Brown got picked off during Snoopy's last at-bat), and as it turned out, Aaron finished the 1973 season one home run short of Ruth. [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. Similarly, the point where Aaron's 715th homer landed, upon breaking Ruth's career record in 1974, is marked in the Turner Field parking lot. 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]. [11] Although he appeared in just 87 games, he scored 89 runs, had 116 hits, nine home runs, and 61 RBIs. Apart from Aaron's status as the real King of the Dinger, Hammerin' Hank still holds two records that aren't likely to be broken anytime soon. 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. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). His debut generates a buzz throughout the sports world. [128] The award honors the best overall offensive performer in the American and National League. On April 15, Aaron collected his first major league hit, a double off Cardinals' pitcher Vic Raschi. It is a great accomplishment that required skill, longevity, and determination. Aaronhung up his cleats in 1976 with 755 career home runsa record that stood until 2007, when it was broken by controversial slugger Barry Bonds(Bonds admitted to using steroids in 2011). "And he'll hit almost anything, so you have to be careful. In the fourth inning, Aaron hit home run number 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. Hank Aaron Home Runs By Season | StatMuse Hank Aaron went yard 13 times in his rookie season in 1954. Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. 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. On April 8, he banged out his record 715th home run off Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers.. "[34], That same year, Aaron met his future wife, Barbara Lucas. [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. 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. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. After the game, Aaron said his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season. But the Braves offered fifty dollars a month more. Aaron also drove in the 2,000th run of his career and hit a home run in the first All-Star game played in Atlanta. Postal Service for receiving more mail (930,000 pieces) than any person excluding politicians. [57] Aaron finished the season with 673 career home runs. At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power-hitting records. Newspaper cartoonist Charles Schulz created a series of Peanuts strips printed in August 1973 in which Snoopy attempts to break the Ruth record, only to be besieged with hate mail. [36], The stint in Puerto Rico also allowed Aaron to avoid being drafted into military service. 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. Aaron went on to play through the end of the 1976 season, finishing with 755 career home runs, 3,771 hits and 2,297 RBI. It's 715! 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. [92] A friendship with a Roman Catholic priest later helped lead to Hank and his wife's conversion. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Ruth's record and in doing so, received the undying support of the fans. Aaron was the first player to reach both Hall-worthy batting thresholds of 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. Henry Aaron, the slugger known as "Hammerin' Hank" who broke broke Babe Ruth's career home run mark and remains No. [18] Aaron was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. However, as Aaron was an African American who had received death threats and racist hate mail during his pursuit of one of baseballs most distinguished records, the achievement was bittersweet. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron And for the first time in a long time, that poker face in Aaron shows the tremendous strain and relief of what it must have been like to live with for the past several months. )[149] Also in Atlanta, the Forrest Hill Academy was renamed the Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy in April 2021. [68] As the fans cheered wildly, Aaron's parents ran onto the field as well. The nickname quickly gained currency, but "Henry" continued to be cited frequently in the media, both sometimes appearing in the same article, and Aaron would answer to either one. And for the first time in a long time, that poker face of Aarons shows the tremendous strain and relief of what it must have been like to live with for the past several months.. Barry Bonds remembers Hank Aaron as 'icon' after complicat Daniel Jones needs to see big picture in Giants negotiations, Red-hot Jon Rahm no match for wind-swept Bay Hill: 'F--king hard', The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. [30], In 1953, the Braves promoted him to the Jacksonville Braves, their Class-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. "[143][144], In January 2016, Aaron received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from Akihito, the Emperor of Japan. [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. Though the Korean War was over, people were still being drafted. Voters have kept Bonds out of the Baseball Hall of Fame over this scandal, but somehow he retains his home-run record. [125] Georgia State University acquired Turner Field and has since rebuilt it as Center Parc Stadium, in 2017, and university officials plan to build a new baseball park on the former AtlantaFulton County Stadium site, incorporating the left field wall where Aaron hit his record-breaking home run. The 20 home runs Aaron hit in 1974 were the third-most ever by a player 40 or older. [139], He was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society, in conjunction with the Governor of Georgia, to recognize accomplishments and community service that reflect the ideals of the founding body of Trustees, which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752. [48] He batted .322, placing third, and led the league in home runs and runs batted in. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. 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.