At what should have been the pinnacle of his long career in baseball, Henry Aaron was getting bags of hate mail many containing death threats and living in a storage room at the stadium, accompanied by bodyguards when he ventured out.
It was 1973, the country remained divided along racial lines and Aaron, a Black American playing for the Atlanta Braves, was closing in on Babe Ruth’s holy career record of 714 home runs. To some, it was sacrilegious that a Black man would threaten the record of the immortal Babe.
Aaron eventually tied, then surpassed Ruth’s record, finishing his remarkable 23-year career with 755 homers. Even at that, he felt shortchanged.
Henry Aaron s ordeal ended at 9:07 p.m. Monday.
It ended in a carnival atmosphere that would have been more congenial to the man he surpassed as baseball s alltime home-run champion. But it ended. And for that, as Aaron advised the 53,775 Atlanta fans who came to enshrine him in the game s pantheon, Thank God.
Aaron s 715th home run came in the fourth inning of the Braves home opener with Los Angeles, off the Dodgers Al Downing, a lefthander who had insisted doggedly before the game that for him this night would be no different from any other. He was wrong, for now he joins a company of victims that includes Tom Zachary (Babe Ruth s 60th home run in 1927), Tracy Stallard (Roger Maris s 61st in 1961), and Guy Bush (Ruth s 714th in 1935). They are destined to ride in tandem through history with their assailants.
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Timeline of Hank Aaron’s life and career
From a baseball career that started in the Negro Leagues to earning the Presidential Honor of Freedom, Aaron made an impact on American sports and society.
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Hank Aaron accepts a champagne bucket at a luncheon in his honor in Milwaukee on Nov. 25, 1957, after winning the National League’s MVP award.
Associated Press
Baseball legend Hank Aaron died Friday at age 86. Here is a timeline of his life and career.
1934: Born on Feb. 5 in a section of Mobile, Alabama, known as “Down The Bay.”
1951: Signs at age 17 with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League, where he plays shortstop and draws the attention of major league scouts.
1962
The Houston Colt .45s play their first Major League game on April 10, defeating the Chicago Cubs 11-2.
1963
1964
Ken Johnson becomes the first major leaguer to lose a nine-inning no-hitter on April 23 with a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
1965
The Houston Colt .45s become the Houston Astros and inaugurate indoor baseball with a 2-1 exhibition win over the New York Yankees on April 9 in the Astrodome.rookie Joe Morgan sets club marks for at-bats, runs, hits and triples.
1966
Mike Cuellar sets a club mark with a 2.22 ERA.home attendance mark which stood for 22 years set on June 22 as 50,908 watch Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers down Houston 5-2.