The man regarded to this day as baseball’s true home run champion has passed away at the age of 86.
Hank Aaron was born Henry Louis Aaron on Feb. 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. After playing for a semipro team in high school, he signed on to play for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League. In 1952, he would join the then-Milwaukee Braves minor league system, eventually getting called up to the big leagues in 1954, where he initially donned #5 on his jersey. Eventually, he switched to the famed #44, when he career took off. In 1957, Aaron led the team to a seven-game World Series win over the New York Yankees.
As the Braves made the move from Milwaukee to Atlanta, Aaron kept piling on the numbers. Over his career, Aaron posted double-digit seasons of 40 home runs, 100 RBI, and 21 All-Star game appearances. Of course, some numbers stand out more than the others. Hank Aaron still owns the record for most runs batted in (RBI) at 2,297, and ranks third in hits with 3,771.
However, the record that he will most be remembered for is his home run prowess. On April 8, 1974, Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list with his 715th long ball, hit off of Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. In 1976, Aaron finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he would hit his 755th and final home run of his career. Upon his retirement, Aaron was the last player who suited up in the Negro League to play in Major League Baseball.
In 2007, Giants slugger Barry Bonds surpassed Aaron’s record, and ended up with 762. However, the record is controversial, as Bonds is widely accused of using performance enhancing drugs to beef up his stats. Also, Aaron missed out on two years of baseball due to military service, which means that he could have ended up with over 800 home runs.
After his career ended, “Hamerrin’ Hank” received many honors. In 1982, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2002, then-President George W. Bush awarded Aaron the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor. His #44 has been retired by both the Braves and Brewers,
Aaron is survived by his second wife Billye, and six children, five from a previous marriage to Barbara Lucas.
