Henry Aaron

     Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League.

     I watched the game on TV when Hank Aaron hit the home run to surpass the record of Babe Ruth. What wasn't emphasized was the hostility he faced from fans who didn't want to see the record broken and sent him all sorts of hate mail and shouted unspeakable epithets at him during the games.

 

     

     The record breaking had had to wait all winter as Aaron hadn't hit enough homers during the previous year in 1973. He spent the off-season thinking about it and hearing about it from everyone and their brother. It must of come as a relief when the season finally started. 

     When the season did finally begin, Aaron played three games in Cincinnati and didn't hit any homers. He returned back to Atlanta where a nation wide TV audience was watching.

     It was rumored that the pitcher on that historic day, Al Downing, a former 20 game winner and World Series star for the Yankees in the previous decade, was going to "groove one" to Aaron in his first plate appearance.

    Now I mentioned that I was watching the game on TV. I had no doubts that Al Downing had seen better days, but there he was starting for the Dodgers in this all important 4th game of the 1974 season. He walked him the first time he batted. The second time up Downing threw a fastball on Aaron's fists which would have broken the bat of a less accomplished hitter. The pitch was not "grooved" so that Aaron could hit the homer to break the record. I have watched the replay to many times to think otherwise.

    When it was all said and done Aaron had just the right words for fans and foes a like:

     He said. ‘I don’t want you to forget Babe Ruth. I just want you to remember Hank Aaron."