who did hank aaron hit 715 off of
HRAtlanta Aaron (2,4th inning off Downing 1 on, 0 out). Feb. 5, 1999: MLB introduces Hank Aaron AwardWhen tasked with commemorating the 25th anniversary of Aarons record-breaking homer in Atlanta, Major League Baseball found an ideal honor in the Hank Aaron Award, now given annually to the top hitter in each league. 2 Modest Man Alone at the Top, New York Times, April 9, 1974: 50. EVERY home run is significant here at Baseball Almanac, but in early-2001, we created a page dedicated to Aaron's Aaron's Significant Home Runs. He never deviated from his belief system. The Braves had ensured that Aarons historic feat would be remembered with a victory. Years after Barry Bonds topped Hank Aaron, its still up for debate. But it wouldve been impossible for him to get things done in 2023. On April 8, 1974, the Atlanta Brave hit home run number 715. Hank Aaron's anguish leading up to record home run No. 715 - Los Aaron failed to reach that threshold only as a 20-year-old rookie in 1954, and as a 41- and 42-year-old in 1975-76. baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL197404080.shtml. Timeline of Hammerin' Hank's legendary career. Aaron chose Bostons offer of $50 more per month. The ball that crowned Aaron as the sport's home run king was marked with serial number 121222 and with clubhouse attendant Bill Acree's signature in invisible ink. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. Thats where Aaron broke an iconic record on April 8, 1974, eclipsing the home run mark established by Babe Ruth. For context, only 13 position players reached that mark in 2022, which is about average for a single season. Only three of Atlantas runs were earned, as the Dodgers made six errors. Aarons two highest single-season OPS figures actually came at ages 37 (1.079) and 39 (1.045, albeit in only 120 games). Bank priceless memories. Aaron finished with 755, a mark that stood until . He moved to the Braves cleanup spot the following year and enjoyed what might have been his best Major League season: A sport-topping 44 homers, 132 RBIs and 369 total bases. Fans continued their serenade as Aaron trotted out to left field in the top of the fifth. 715 off Dodgers pitcher Al Downing on April 8, 1974. 4. He confessed after the game, When I hit it tonight, all I thought about was that I wanted to touch all the bases.9, Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, representing Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, gave Aaron a diamond-studded wristwatch with the number 715 imprinted in gold. April 8, 1974: Theres a new home run champion Baseball has seldom seen moments accompanied by as many eyes and fanfare as Aarons at-bats at the beginning of 1974. In the bottom of the fourth, Downing became forever a part of baseball lore. At the time, Downing was pitching at the tail end of his career. But he placed third a whopping six times, received votes in 19 straight seasons (1955-73) and is tied for eighth all-time in MVP shares, per Baseball-Reference. Best known for his years with the Yankees, the left-hander had his only 20-win season with the Dodgers in 1971 and was still in their rotation when he faced the Braves during the fourth game of the 74 season. House ran the ball to home plate, wedging his way into the growing throng to hand history to the man who authored it. 715 It Belongs to Aaron and Nobody Else, Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1974: 41, 44. 1,477 - Hank Aaron finished his career with 1,477 extra base hits, more than any player in baseball history (#1 on the Top Top 1,000). The crowd booed loudly, aiming those jeers at the absent Kuhn. Hank Aaron | Biography, Baseball, & Facts | Britannica Thats the good news and the bad news, he said. Breathe some of that rare air. That 15-season streak is a record, and Aarons 16 total seasons meeting the 6-WAR threshold ties Bonds for the most by a position player. The difference with Hank and other line drive hitters: His line drives just seemed to carry and carry and carry. Well, every time you went there, you were facing a potential Hall of Famer, it seemed.. 715. Hank Aaron Hit Home Run No. 715 on This Date 40 Years Ago In his first at-bat, Downing had walked him on five pitches, drawing boos from the crowd. Two years later, Aarons mother, Estella, let him sign with the semi-pro Mobile Black Bears for $3 per game, on the condition that he only play in local contests. 12. As left fielder Bill Buckner climbed the fence in vain, House a relief pitcher for Aarons Braves became a forever footnote as one of the most celebrated and cherished baseballs of all time found him in Atlantas bullpen. Hank was a line drive hitter. Copyright 1999- Downing has the distinction of allowing Aarons 715th career home run on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, breaking Babe Ruths record. The only ticket I could get was an obstructed-view seat in the bleachers behind a big, metal post, the 86-year-old Selig said. ", "Seven-hundred thirteen, seven-hundred fourteen, seven-hundred fifteen, I've forgotten them (home runs) all." Yowie! Atlanta Constitution, April 9, 1974: 1. At the time, Aaron was just the fourth baseball player to receive Americas highest civilian honor, following in the footsteps of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and his hero, Jackie Robinson. But he feels no regrets for his performance that night or throughout a career that pitted him against some of baseballs best. Oct. 10, 1957: Aaron, Braves take down mighty YanksMilwaukees new slugger was just getting started. Aaron took ball one, and then at precisely 9:07 P.M., local time, he swung his bat for the first time in the game, sending the homer heard round the world5 out of the park. It was really comforting because I heard from Ellie [Howard] that Hank was a good guy., Timeline of Hammerin' Hank's legendary career. He wasnt saying, Why me? Hed tell you, Im trying to set the stage for somebody coming along later, so maybe theyll understand everything better, and you cant lose sight of your goals, Downing said. I remember thinking to myself, Im not hearing the noise, House said. The games most treasured record, career home runs, was seconds from being rewritten. What Happened to the 2 Fans From Hank Aaron's 715th Home Run? Aaron was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 13, 1954, with the Milwaukee Braves. Hank Aaron overcame poverty and racism to become one of the most accomplished baseball players of all time, said President Bush. Two years later, Aaron followed Ken Williams and Willie Mays as the third player to pair 30-plus homers with 30-plus steals in a single season, and he missed out on a Triple Crown by just seven points to NL batting champion Tommy Davis. Atlanta jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI double from center fielder (and future MLB manager) Dusty Baker, which scored Aaron after a leadoff walk. Anticipation was high in this, Atlantas home opener. Those werent baseball cities. He's never received the credit he's due." for the second out as Perez scored. House nurtured a second career as a sought-after expert on throwing biomechanics, working with Hall of Famers like Nolan Ryan and Greg Maddux. Baseball is a game of inches, but it is also a game of numbers. When it comes to icons of baseball, sport and American society at large, few names are bigger than Hank Aaron. Each family member worked to support the household, including Henry, who picked cotton and worked several other jobs in his adolescence. The fence is covered with flowers, notes and baseball memorabilia. He looked you in the eye.. It doesnt take a mathematician to figure out what that means. Hank Aaron never bragged about anything except carrying Georgia for me in 1992.. Aaron lived in a storage room at the stadium as he closed in on the record, accompanied by bodyguards. (Walter Iooss Jr./SI) Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of one of the signature moments in . As one of five African-American players breaking the color line in the newly desegregated Sally League, Aaron endured taunts and Jim Crow-era discrimination on the road (Henry Aaron led the league in everything except hotel accommodations, one writer said) and claimed the leagues MVP honors. Atlanta suddenly seems to have forgotten Henry Aaron, who less than 24 hours earlier had taken sole possession of baseball's most celebrated by cracking his 715th home run amid the carnival. Atlanta continued its explosive growth, eventually landing such major sporting events as the Olympics, multiple Super Bowls and World Series, as well as numerous college sports championships. Page 18. U-HPSatch Davidson, 1BFrank Pulli, 2BEd Sudol, 3BLee Weyer. He is one of five players to post at least eight 40-homer seasons, one of two (along with Alex Rodriguez) to have 15 30-homer seasons and is the only player to go deep 20-plus times in 20 different years. I knew I was pitching against a good-hitting ballclub, and everyone knew Mr. Aaron was right in the middle of all that, Downing said in reference to Hank Aaron, one of the greatest players in baseball history, who died Friday at 86. Age is just a number: productive at 20 and 40One thing that stands out about Aaron is that he was a tremendous young player and a tremendous old player. PBFerguson (1). An Appreciation Remembering Hank Aaron at the site of No. Aaron honed his early batting eye by hitting bottle caps with a broom handle, and he became a gifted high school athlete in both football and baseball. In the 4th inning, Aaron hit career home run number 715 off L.A. Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. Davey Lopes grounded a ball to third baseman Darrell Evans, who fired home in time to get Russell. 3. Early on, everybody talked about what a great catch it was. The Braves set off fireworks and held an 11-minute celebration of Aarons accomplishment, and when Downing returned to the mound, he had lost his control. Hank Aaron makes one last trip to spot where he hit No. 715 - New York Post Its not that it hasnt gotten better; its just that moment there you see the past month or so, weve lost [10] Hall of Famers from that era alone tells you what that era was all about. April 8 will always have a special place in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. Regardless of what the Padres decide to do, this isnt time for a fire sale. Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania breaks world record in womens 50-meter breaststroke. Most of the games you saw on television were coming out of New York, Downing said. Atlanta countered with Ron Reed. You dont go up there thinking, Oh, he might hit No. The night of April 8, 1974? Baseballs minimum salary in 1974 was $15,000. - Mantle, Mickey. That total is 722 more than second-place Stan Musial -- about twice the amount produced by 2021 Major League leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (363). 1 Wayne Minshew, Aaron Hammers No. Soon after Aaron finished his phone call, the score was 7-4. They all braved the cold weather and tornado warnings to hear Pearl Bailey sing the National Anthem and to then watch history being made. Hes been the complete player. But you never heard him get upset about the things he had to go through. His whole life was a home run, former President Bill Clinton said. I tell my grandkids, when Im telling my big lie (about catching the historic ball), its actually the truth., Sean Payton rips Nathaniel Hackett, calling last years handling of the Broncos one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. Downing, 79, said he first met Aaron through former New York Yankees teammate Elston Howard during spring training before his first MLB season in 1961. I shouldnt have been recognized in the big picture of baseball, but here I am, House said. According to Biography, it was 20 years later, after the Braves had relocated to Atlanta in 1966 (per the MLB website) that he hit his 715th home run, shattering Babe Ruth's record of 714, to the delight of many long-suffering Boston Red Sox fans, as Baseball Reference tells it. The win is the most important thing that happened tonight.16 Someone brought up his jersey number, and Hank said, I asked for a low number at the start of my first spring-training camp, because Id notice that guys with high numbers usually werent around too long. When he picks out his pitch, its going somewhere, Downing said after the game. Aaron, a spokesman for Magnavox Co., later said that House would receive a free Magnavox television for making the catch. The sad news that Hall of Fame player and person Hank Aaron died Friday at age 86 reeled House back into the spotlight. Join Today Aaron hit 34 more in 1972 and then an incredible 40 in just 392 at-bats in 1973. Hank Aaron, byname of Henry Louis Aaron, (born February 5, 1934, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.died January 22, 2021, Atlanta, Georgia), American professional baseball player who, during 23 seasons in the major leagues (1954-76), surpassed batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial. The Atlanta Constitution showcased Aarons feat on its front page, reporting, Undaunted by the swirl of controversy surrounding his quest for baseball immortality, Hank Aaron became the games all-time home run king Monday night when he smashed his 715th.1. (Correll scored.) SHGarr (1,off Marshall). If I had stood still, it would have hit me in the forehead.. After a nearly three-hour funeral service Wednesday that featured two former presidents, a long-time baseball commissioner and a civil rights icon, the hearse carrying Hank Aaron's body. Born Henry Louis Aaron on February 5, 1934, in a poor Black section of Mobile, Alabama, called "Down the Bay," Hank Aaron was the third of eight children born to Estella and Herbert . A high floor: 15 straight years of 6 WARAaron wasnt making all of those All-Star teams just from inertia. Aaron finished the year with 64 more at-bats, but he didnt go deep again. Who is the home run king? The caveat to that number is that it includes four seasons (1959-62) in which there were multiple games. Four games into the season, it was to be his first start of the year after pitching three, then five, then seven frames in spring training. Hank Aaron's 715th home run: What to remember about Braves' legend Such threats might have rattled men with less conviction, but Aaron handled the attention with unparalleled grace and focus. Hell never break the record. But he did. Im feeling it bounce off of my face.. Total domination: The king of total basesThink about those 6,856 total bases, too. Downing admires Aaron as a player and a pioneer, someone who paved the way for future generations of Black players with such dignity and grace. He describes the Hall of Famer as a reliable friend and a humble star in the face of death threats and a gradually intensified national spotlight. As the new Home Run King continued his 360-foot trip around the bases into the record books, he was joined by two exuberant fans. Aarons old fan base got to see him pass Ruth again, this time when he drove home teammate Sixto Lezcano with a single for his 2,210th career RBI. It was a line drive. He was named to MLBs All-Century Team in 2000, and he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton in 01. After Buckner popped out, Jim Wynn scorched a double to left, good for two more runs. Aaron had a young kid in the clubhouse tell Downing to meet him in the hitting cage when the Braves took batting practice. Hank Aaron Hits Home Run No. 715, Breaks Babe Ruth's Record Hank Aaron was the first Milwaukee Braves player to wear #44, the first Atlanta Braves player to wear #44, and no player has worn the number since as the team retired it the year after he hung up his cleats (in 1977). So, the ball was worth (almost) twice what I was making at the time, House said. Aaron was in left field when the call came through. Aaron eventually scored 2,174 runs, the exact same number as Ruth. But the outer retaining wall of the old stadium remains, along with a modest display in the midst of the nondescript lot that marks the exact location where the record-breaking homer cleared the left-field fence. Let's hope they stay in their seats this time. He is currently #2 on the Top 1,000, behind Barry Bonds (762). The box score below is an accurate record of events for the baseball contest played on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta Stadium. On Sept. 23, Aaron clubbed an 11th-inning homer that clinched the Braves first pennant in Milwaukee. Singular baseball voice Vin Scully, calling the game for the Dodgers, framed the larger context in ways only Scully could. May 1, 1975: Hank passes The Babe againA trade in November 1974 returned Aaron to Milwaukee, where he played out the remainder of his career with the nascent Brewers. The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and the box score is "ready to surrender its truth to the knowing eye." "Seven-hundred thirteen, seven-hundred fourteen, seven-hundred fifteen, I've forgotten them (home . As the baseball soared through the Atlanta night on April 8, 1974, Tom House had no earthly clue what it would mean when history landed in his hands at Fulton County Stadium. The Braves have resisted a name change, but Hank Aarons death renews calls for the Hammers, The night Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruths home run record, Hank Aarons mind-bending stats go well beyond the home run record, George F. Will: The dignified slugger from Mobile (2007), Hank Aaron on the 25th anniversary of breaking Babe Ruths record (1999), Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more, Al Downing, the pitcher who gave up Hank Aarons 715th home run, appreciates their shared legacy, Nationals streak ends at three as Patrick Corbin struggles vs. Rockies, These players could define the start of Josh Harriss Commanders tenure, In Harrisburg, three Nationals prospects grow together, Hank Aaron, baseball great who became voice for civil rights, dies at 86, Hank Aaron left an indelible mark on MLB players: 'He was not going to let anything distract him, Hank Aarons greatness and grace were underappreciated and unmatched. He used an alias at hotels on the road. Number 714 had been hit just four days earlier, on Opening Day in Cincinnati. So, Aaron -- unbeknownst to those at the time -- technically had the record already in hand. Hank Aaron | Infoplease Racism carved away a piece of Hank Aarons heart. 8. And as he neared home plate, his teammates amassed around the dish, waiting to congratulate him. Downing walked Aaron on five pitches in the first at-bat. HR #400 - Hank Aaron hit the 400th home run of his career on April 20, 1966, off Bo Belinsky of the Philadelphia Phillies [9th inning / 0 outs / bases empty]. And then there was 755, Aaron's ultimate total, and a record that stood for another 31 years. Aaron said: Welcome to the big leagues. Hank Aaron | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1982 (HOF). But Ill guarantee, if you asked anyone on the field that day, if they would have caught the home run they would have done exactly what I did.. He received thousands of letters every week -- some encouraging, others carrying terrifying messages. 4 Jesse Outlar, Hammer Flips a Page in History, Atlanta Constitution, April 9, 1974: 57. Homers aside, Aarons 3,016 hits would rank 30th in MLB history. Sports memorabilia: What Hank Aaron's 755th home run sold for But even more than that, hes done it in a gentlemanly way.20. Ruths official total, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, now stands under 2,000, because the Bureau does not recognize Ruths RBIs that came before the statistic was formally recognized in 1920. Downing has the distinction of allowing Aaron's 715th career home run on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium . On April 8, 1974, Number 44 hit Number 715. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron..
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who did hank aaron hit 715 off of