When Aaron Broke Babe's HR Record
Hammerin' Hank Hit Home Run Number 715 and Passed Babe Ruth in 1974
Jul 11, 2007
From the time he started his Major League Baseball career in 1954 until the end of the 1960s, just about every baseball fan in America knew that Henry Aaron was one hell of a ballplayer. But few, if any of them really believed that Hank Aaron would someday surpass Babe Ruth's career record of 714 home runs.
Mantle and Mays Were the Favorites to Break the Record
Prior to Aaron, only two players had been deemed capable of breaking the mark: Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. Mantle, the New York Yankees centerfielder had compiled 369 career home runs by the end of the 1961 season, when he was still only 29 years old. Being more than halfway there with at least ten more seasons to play, Mantle seemed poised to one day break the all-time home run record. But it never happened. The Mick endured a series of injuries during the 1960s that limited his playing time and effectiveness, and ultimately, ended his career when he was just 36 years old. He finished well short of the record, hitting a total of 536 home runs.
The other candidate who seemed destined to set the mark was Willie Mays. He had started his career in the same year as Mantle, but had remained much healthier through the 1960s. As a result, when that decade closed, Willie Mays had exactly 600 home runs. He was 38, but still very athletic and healthy, and many thought that he had 115 homers left in him. He didn't. Willie's production declined steeply over his last four seasons, and he finished his Hall of Fame career with 660 round-trippers.
Hank Aaron's Quiet Assault on Baseball's Biggest Record
In contrast to Mantle and Mays, who played in the high profile cities of New York and San Francisco, Aaron played his entire career in Milwaukee and Atlanta. Consequently, his achievements did not receive the same spotlight as his two chief rivals. And while Aaron was not as dynamic or exciting a player as Mantle or Mays, he proved that he was more consistent than either of those two great New York centerfielders.
Aaron's march to the home run record was just that: a strong, steady, consistent march towards immortality. While he never hit more than 50 home runs in a season -- a feat accomplished twice each by Mickey and Willie -- Aaron hit 30 or more home runs in 16 out of 17 seasons from 1957 through 1973. During that stretch, he also topped 40 homers in eight different seasons.
Furthermore, Aaron seemed to get better as he got older. In 1969, at age 35, he hit 44 homers. Two years later, when he was 37, Hammerin' Hank smacked a career high 47 home runs. It was after that season that people first began to believe that Aaron could pass Ruth. He had 639 career home runs and had just finished his best season. The final 75 home runs seemed a foregone conclusion.
In 1973, Aaron closed the gap to just one home run when he hit 40 more dingers to finish the season with 713 career blasts.
Racism and Death Threats Nearly Spoil Baseball's Greatest Achievement
Because he had finished the 1973 season just one home run short of the record, there was plenty of time for America to celebrate Aaron's upcoming passage into baseball immortality. But not all fans were supportive of Hank. During the offseason and through spring training, Aaron received racist letters and death threats from "fans" who were angry that Henry was going to shatter a white man's record.
Aaron received a massive flood of public support in response to the bigotry. Babe Ruth's widow, Claire Hodgson, even denounced the racism and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record.
1974: Slight Controversy and The Big Moment
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the home run record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three game series. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta. Therefore, they were going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two in the first series. He played two out of three, tying Babe Ruth's record in his very first at bat off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series.
In Atlanta, 53,775 people showed up on April 8, 1974. It was a Braves record for attendance. In the 4th inning against Los Angeles pitcher Al Downing, Ruth connected with a high fastball and hit it over the left-center field fence. The ball landed in the Braves bullpen where reliever Tom House caught it. While cannons were fired in celebration, two college students ran alongside Aaron around the base paths. Aaron's mother ran onto the field as well.
At the end of the 1974 season, when he had 733 career dingers, the Braves traded Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he played 1 1/2 more seasons before retiring with 755 home runs.
It was a great career. Now, Barry Bonds is just four shy of the record. Every baseball fan knows the controversy surrounding Barry's approach to the record. It will be very interesting to see the public's reaction when he finally breaks it.
