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That same year, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgia's founders. With the eyes of the entire nation on him, Aaron hit a pitch from the Dodgers’ Al Downing over the left field wall to pass Babe Ruth and make baseball history. A 6-foot, 180-pounder, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's hallowed home run mark on April 8, 1974, slugging his record 715th off Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Al Downing in the fourth inning as 50,000-plus fans celebrated in Atlanta. His final home-run ball ended up having an interesting history. Richard Arndt, a part-time groundskeeper at County Stadium, caught the ball and tried to return it to Aaron after the game but was told Aaron was unavailable to see him.
They were escorted out of the park by police soon after their moment with Aaron and spent the night in jail. However, both later got to reunite with Aaron, once in 1994 on the 20th anniversary of the home run and again in 2010. On April 8, 1974, Aaron's Braves faced off against the Dodgers at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The opposing starter was Al Downing, a veteran who, like Aaron, was nearing the end of his career and, also like Aaron, wore No. 44. It had been a long winter for Aaron, who ended the 1973 season on the cusp of the record with 713 career home runs.
— July 21, 1973
Texan Cory Youmans said he turned down a $3 million offer for Judge's ball. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Baseball-Reference Bullpen 100,000+ pages of baseball information, How to Contribute, ... Braves who wore #44 before Hank Aaron; Bob Chipman and Buzz Clarkson , both of which wore it when the Braves were still playing in Boston.
MLB also awards the Hank Aaron Award to the best hitter in each league as voted on by the fans and the media. To the end of his life, he remained a champion of minority hiring and inclusion in the sport he loved. In October 2018, the league renamed the Elite Development Invitational, the largest developmental program for minority players, in honor of Aaron. After Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, a player of Aaron's caliber wasn't going to escape notice for long. He signed a $10,000 contract with the Milwaukee Braves, with whom he made his big league debut two years later. Born Henry Louis Aaron on Feb. 5, 1934, the future outfielder was the third of eight children of a tavern owner.
Aaron Sorkin
HR #500 - Hank Aaron hit the 500th home run of his career on July 14, 1968, off Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants [3rd inning / 2 outs / runner on 1st & 3rd] . HR #300 - Hank Aaron hit the 300th home run of his career on April 19, 1963, off Roger Craig of the New York Mets [8th inning / 1 out / runner on 1st]. HR #100 - Hank Aaron hit the 100th home run of his career on August 15, 1957, off Don Gross of the Cincinnati Reds [7th inning / 2 outs / runner on 1st].
After touching home plate he was carried off the field by his teammates. It is as of yet the only pennant-clinching walk-off home run in major league history in a non-playoff regular-season game. Milwaukee went on to win the World Series against the New York Yankees, the defending champions, 4 games to 3. Aaron did his part by hitting .393 with three homers and seven RBIs. He led the Braves to another pennant, but this time they lost a seven-game World Series to the Yankees.
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In January 2016, Aaron received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from Akihito, the Emperor of Japan. In 2011, the President of Princeton University Shirley M. Tilghman awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree to Aaron. In 2002, Aaron was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Vince Lombardi's legacy and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the coach. On January 8, 2001, Aaron was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in June 2002.
Arndt wanted to personally present the ball to the Hall of Famer. Instead, the Brewers offered Arndt a photo opportunity along with a signed ball and one of the slugger’s bats. To add insult to injury, the club deducted $5 from Arndt’s final paycheck for keeping the ball. Minutes before bidding was to start, a family friend of the New York Yankees outfielder told the auctioneer the ball was a fake, claiming Mantle’s widow, Merlyn, owned the true 500th ball. The Judge auction is expected to run smoothly, without the screwballs marking some colorful past sales. "This is probably the most famous baseball in the world, and it should set a record for the most valuable baseball ever sold," Goldin told Stewart Varney.
If the Yankees lose Aaron Judge, here’s how it could happen
Letters poured into the Braves offices, as many as 3,000 a day for Aaron. Some wrote to congratulate him, but many others were appalled that a Black man should break baseball's most sacred record. He didn't try to inflame the atmosphere, but he didn't keep his mouth shut, either, speaking out against the league's lack of ownership and management opportunities for minorities. "On the field, Blacks have been able to be super giants," he once stated. "But, once our playing days are over, this is the end of it and we go back to the back of the bus again."
Aaron showed little bitterness that the power mark was surpassed in a modern era that has emphasized long balls and has been helped along by better training methods and even performance-enhancing drugs. And former President Jimmy Carter, a native of Plains, Georgia, on Friday called Aaron a "breaker of records and racial barriers." Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ordered flags at all state buildings and grounds lowered to half-staff in honor of Aaron for "his important work to advance civil rights and create a more equal, just society." The final charge may be different depending on the delivery address. Aaron DouglasAaron Douglas was an African American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Hank WilliamsHank Williams became one of America's first country music superstars, with hits like "Your Cheatin' Heart," before his early death at 29.
On January 21, 2007, Major League Baseball announced the sale of the Atlanta Braves. Aaron himself downplayed the "chase" to surpass Babe Ruth, while baseball enthusiasts and the national media grew increasingly excited as he closed in on the 714 career home runs record. 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. Mickey Owen, the team's manager, helped Aaron with his batting stance. Until then, Aaron had hit most pitches to left field or center field, but after working with Owen, Aaron was able to hit the ball more effectively all over the field. During his stay in Puerto Rico, Owen also helped Aaron transition from second base to the outfield.
In 1994, Arndt got Aaron to sign the ball at a baseball card show, without telling the Home Run King that he was signing "the ball," FanGraphs said. In 2007, Cicero told the Texas Journal of The Wall Street Journal he sold the ball to an investor group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The price was "well into the six figures." Later reports listed the price at $144,000. Estimates say the ball will fetch more than Mark McGwire’s 70th homer from the 1998 season.
In 1953, the Braves promoted him to the Jacksonville Braves, their Class-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. Helped by Aaron's performance, the Braves won the league championship that year. Aaron led the league in runs , hits , doubles , RBIs , total bases , and batting average (.362). He was one of the first African Americans to play in the league. The 1950s were a period of racial segregation in parts of the United States, especially the southeastern portion of the country.
But he would quit before he graduated, having inked a contract as an 18-year-old with the Negro Baseball League's Indianapolis Clowns. He played only part of the 1952 season but served enough time to lead his team to a championship. In 1999, Major League Baseball introduced the Hank Aaron Award to honor the top hitter in each league.
His mates decided that enough was enough in the bottom of the seventh, as the Boomer and the Hammer went to work. Aaron, however, didn't stay away from the Braves after he hung up his bat, eventually moving into the team's front office, where he served as executive vice president. He retired at the end of the 1976 season with 755 home runs and a career average of .305. When Bonds hit his 756th home run in San Francisco in 2007, the Giants played a videotaped congratulatory message from Aaron.
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