Hank Aaron, who is baseball's authentic all-time home run king despite what MLB's fraudulent record book says, has passed away at the age of 86. Aaron blasted 756 home runs during his 23 season career, breaking the record of 714 that had long been held by Babe Ruth. Aaron received a lot of racist hate mail as he approached Ruth's record, but Aaron's quiet, firm dignity never wavered. He began his MLB career shortly after Jackie Robinson integrated the sport, and he joined Robinson in not only overcoming racist obstacles placed in his path but also establishing himself as one of the greatest players of all-time.
In addition to being the authentic home run champion, Aaron holds the official MLB career records for RBIs (2297), total bases (6856), and extra-base hits (1477). He ranks third in career hits (3771), third in career games played (3298), and fourth in career runs scored (2174).
Aaron won the National League MVP in 1957, the same year he led the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series title. He holds the MLB record for most seasons on an All-Star roster (21) and most All-Star Game selections (25); MLB played two All-Star Games during some years, so Aaron actually has more All-Star Game selections than career seasons played, and the only seasons during which he was not selected as an All-Star were his first (1954) and his last (1976). Aaron, a career .305 hitter, won two NL batting titles (1956, 1959), and he ranked in the top five in batting average 11 times.
Although Aaron never had a 50 home run season, he belted at least 40 home runs in eight different campaigns, tied for the second most such seasons all-time behind only Babe Ruth (11). Aaron led the NL in home runs four times (1957, 1963, 1966-67). Remarkably, in addition to his prodigious power hitting he also ranked in the NL's top ten in stolen bases eight times, including second in 1963 with a career high 31. Although he is not primarily known for defense, he earned three Gold Gloves (1958-60).
Aaron was not only consistently productive, but he was remarkably durable, playing in at least 150 games in 14 different seasons. He spent most of his career with the Braves franchise, first in Milwaukee (1954-1965) and then with Atlanta (1966-74), before returning to Milwaukee to spend two years in the American League as a designated hitter for the Brewers.
The biggest sports stars of the 1970s--including Julius Erving, Pete Maravich, Bjorn Borg, Mario Andretti, and Muhammad Ali--will always hold a special place in my heart, and Aaron is inextricably linked to the 1970s, even though his prime years were behind him by that time. I am not quite old enough to remember that fateful night in 1974 when Aaron broke Ruth's home run record, but when I watched Greatest Sports Legends or other vintage sports telecasts as a child I heard Milo Hamilton's famous call: "Here's the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There's a drive into left-center
field. That ball is going to be out of here! IT'S GONE! IT'S 715!
There's a new home run champion of all-time! And it's Henry Aaron!" That great moment was an early part of my introduction to sports, and an indelible memory.
It is also worth remembering what Vin Scully said at that time to place Aaron's accomplishment in historical perspective: "What a marvelous moment for baseball; what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia; what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron."
Hank Aaron lived the right way, played the right way, and he remains baseball's authentic home run king.
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