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A Birthday Tribute to “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron
What better way to kick off our February month-long tribute to the Negro Leagues than with a birthday salute to the great Hank Aaron! Hank was born 82 years ago today, and just happens to be the last major leaguer to have played in the Negro Leagues. So before we settle in to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday and all the festivities, let’s spent a few minutes remembering the wonderful career of the great Hall-of-Famer, Hammerin’ Hank Aaron!
Hank Aaron played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and two seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1954 through 1976. Aaron appeared briefly in the Negro American League before starting his major league career. By his final season in the major leagues, Aaron was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster.
Over his career Hank hit .305 with 3771 hits, 2174 runs, 755 home runs, 2297 RBI (major league record), .374 on-base percentage, and .555 slugging average. Just a few of his many career highlights include: 25 All-star team selections (every year between 1955-1975); tied with Willie Mays and Stan Musial for the most All-Star Games played (24); one World Series championship (1957); National League MVP award (1957); three-time Gold Glove award (1958-1960); two-time National League batting champion (1956, 1959); four-time National League home run champion (1957, 1963, 1966, 1967); four-time National League RBI champion (1957, 1960, 1963, 1966); major league record holder for total bases (6856) and extra base hits (1477).
Aaron held the major league record for career home runs for 33 years with 715, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth, until his record was eclipsed by Barry Bonds during the tainted steroid era. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.
Aaron is in the top five for career hits and runs. He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron is in second place in home runs and at-bats (12,364), and in third place in games played (3,298). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game’s key career power hitting records.
In 1957, Aaron batted .322, placing third, and led the league in home runs (44) and RBIs (132). He also scored 118 runs, and posted a .378 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging average. On September 23, 1957, Aaron hit a two-run game-ending home run in Milwaukee, clinching the pennant for the Braves and was carried off the field by his teammates. Milwaukee went on to win the World Series against the New York Yankees. Aaron did his part by hitting .393 with three homers and seven RBI.
Since his retirement, Aaron has held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. His #44 has been retired by the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list. He has also been named to the Major League All-Century team. In 1999, Major League Baseball introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. Hank Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Gary Livacari
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Photo Credits: “Greats of the Game,” by Ray Robinson; and from “I Had a Hammer,” by Hank Aaron; others from public domain
Information: Excerpts edited from the Hank Aaron Wikipedia page, and sources named above
Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com, Hank Aaron page
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