On This Day In U.S. Sports History: On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Since this day, the magic number to beat remains 715. Babe Ruth reached 714 home runs in 8,399 at bats. However, it only took Hank Aaron 11,295.
Hammerin’ Hank
Henry Louis Aaron Jr. was born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 5, 1934. Amazingly, he made his Major League debut in 1954, at 20 years old, just seven years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.
In 1957, Aaron, who primarily played right field, was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player as the Milwaukee Braves won the pennant. A few weeks later, Aaron scored three home runs over the heavily favored New York Yankees. Fittingly, he became known as Hammerin’ Hank. Though he specialized in home runs, Aaron was also known for his dependability at bat. Hammerin’ Hank would end his career also holding the record for most runs batted in (RBIs) at 2,297.
The Record-Breaking Game
The Milwaukee Braves became the Atlanta Braves in 1966. Aaron’s last season of a 23-year career, would take place in 1974. On April 8, 1974, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Aaron would hit the monumental 715th home run. Incredibly, there was a record breaking crowd of 53,775 people in attendance that day. The crowd consisted mostly of Caucasian fans. Luckily, it did not seem to matter. All had come to see history made and were not disappointed. Dodgers’ pitcher Al Downing dared to place a single pitch straight over the mound. Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s home run record – the rest is history.
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Sources: NY Daily News; History.com
Image: NY Daily News
