MLBbro Celebrates The 50th Anniversary of Hank Aaron’s 715th Home Run
Mark Gray gives an eloquent description of what Hank Aaron’s 715th home run moment still means to Black baseball a half century later.
April 8, 1974: Hammerin’ Hank Aaron Hits 715, Bumps Bambino, Elevates Black Baseball
Hank Aaron passed away back in January of 2021 at age 86.
Baseball has suffered some considerable losses in the past few years: Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Dick Allen, Tony Fernandez, Tom Seaver, Tommy Lasorda, J.R. Richard, and Don Sutton and Vida Blue, just to name a few.
It seemed as if Aaron would live forever. Baseball’s “true” home run king was probably the second most influential African-American player in the history of the sport after Jackie Robinson. And an undeniable national treasure and inspiration for all.
One Home Run Changed The Game
Most can’t honestly understand what a single home run meant 47 years ago. After all, we have seen so much change since April 8, 1974. We even had a two-term African American president in Barack Obama.
If you think that was a pipedream in 1974, the same would be said about a black man having the most home runs in Major League Baseball history.
Before that historic blast, four days earlier, Aaron tied the iconic Babe Ruth with a bomb against “The Big Red Machine.
First, Jackie Robinson broke down the color barrier. Then, it was Aaron, making the national pastime ours.
Today is the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s 715th home run. Aaron’s homer off of Dodgers’ Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium broke Babe Ruth‘s long-standing record of 714 home runs.
It was a mark most thought would stand forever.
It was such a big deal that not all celebrated. In fact, Aaron was more relieved than happy. Aaron received racist hate mail and death threats. His kids had security people watching over them during their dad’s pursuit of a piece of American history.
He came a long way from Mobile, Alabama. Born on Feb. 5, 1934, Henry Louis Aaron was one of eight children born to Herbert and Estella Aaron. As he challenged the mythical Babe Ruth for MLB’s scared record back in the 70s, he received death threats and racist taunts at the ballparks.
Aaron stood brave and prevailed.
The Braves have honored Aaron in so many ways over the years. In 2014 they wore 40th-anniversary patches on their uniform sleeves to mark the historic occasion. He was revered until his death at age 86.
And while some won’t forget Aaron’s shining moment, he doesn’t always get the props he deserves.
After all, Aaron played 23 seasons and nearly averaged 100 RBI a season (2,297 RBI total). His production was as consistent as a windshield wiper and impactful as the words of James Baldwin.
Of course, Barry Bonds, another Black Knight, passed Aaron as baseball’s home run king. Aaron hit 755 and Bonds hit 762. The validity of Bonds’ homers is questioned by many baseball fans and HOF voters to this day.
But nearly a half-century ago, it was Aaron’s blast over the left-field fence in Atlanta that transformed America, allowing black people all over this country to take ownership of the greatest title in the land. Like they were sharing a big pot of Gumbo.
It’s a great moment in our history. A shining moment for Black baseball.
Miguel Cabrera’s 509th Career Homer Ties Gary Sheffield All-Time | Reminds Us Of The Legacy of Bro Bombers Continued Today
Miguel Cabrera‘s two-run homer on Tuesday was just his second of the season but the 509th of his career, tying him with MLBbro Gary Sheffield for 26th on the all-time home run leaderboard.
The 40-year-old designated hitter is soaking up all the memories on his farewell tour. Cabrera has three seasons before 2023 where he’s hit 10 homers or less, but he’s just two homers away from another ranking bump and three blasts from tying the next MLBbro.
The all-time home run leaderboard is filled with Black ball players.
Barry Bonds stands atop the leaderboard with 762 dingers, a feat that may never be broken.
The Bro Bombers that follow are legendary slugger Henry “Hank” Aaron (755), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), Frank Robinson (586), Reggie Jackson (563), Willie McCovey (521), Frank Thomas (521), and Ernie Banks (512).
The commonality between Cabrera and almost all of these players is that they played at least 20 seasons in the Majors to reach their marks. Banks and Thomas played 19 seasons in the bigs.
Significance of Bro Bombers
When Negro League players and Black players breaking the color barrier in the Majors began to get coverage in the newspapers, it was clear the distinction between how the writers would categorize the players. If the player was white, they were often lauded for their intelligence and played the game the right way. But, Black players’ accomplishments were frequently attributed solely to their physical prowess, underscoring a glaring disparity in the portrayal of their achievements.
Amid the suffocating limitations that writers and baseball enthusiasts sought to impose upon them, these remarkable individuals rose to triumph, defying the constraints imposed upon them. And standing tall among these legends, it was Aaron who ignited a fervor, illuminating boundless potential.
“If I was white, all America would be proud of me,” Aaron said almost a year before he passed Ruth. “But I am Black.”
Hank Aaron Breaks Babe Ruth Home Run Record With 715
On April 8, 1974, the Atlanta legend became the new home run king, hitting his 715th homer and surpassing Babe Ruth, who’d held the record for 59 years.
“A breaker of records and racial barriers, his remarkable legacy will continue to inspire countless athletes and admirers for generations to come,” said former president Jimmy Carter, who often attended Braves games with his wife, Rosalynn.
Irrespective of one’s racial or ethnic background, the magnitude of Aaron’s feat in surpassing Ruth was universally acknowledged, serving as a potent source of inspiration for aspiring young Black athletes.
“The former Home Run King wasn’t handed his throne,” said former President George W. Bush, a one-time owner of the Texas Rangers, who presented Aaron in 2002 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor. “He grew up poor and faced racism as he worked to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Hank never let the hatred he faced consume him.”
The inspiration would birth the next king of swat in Bonds.
On August 7, 2007, Bonds clobbered his 756th homer to overtake Aaron on the leaderboard.
“[He was] a trailblazer through adversity and setting an example for all of us African-American ballplayers who came after you,” Bonds gave praise to Aaron.
Can another MLBbro break the record?
The closest active MLBbro to Cabrera’s newest mark is Giancarlo Stanton, with 396 blasts. Stanton has played in the Majors for 14 years and currently averages 23 homers per season, which puts him on pace for 534 homers through his 20th season. His injury history, however, leaves much doubt as to whether he would reach the necessary number of seasons played.
When it comes to power stats, few players can compete with Stanton.
The 33-year-old designated hitter leads the Marlins in total home runs (59) since 2017, and he only played one of those seasons in Miami, with the remainder being for the Yankees.
Stanton has 76 career blasts with a 113 or more miles per hour exit velocity, which is the most tracked by Statcast (2015, including playoffs), ahead of teammate, current American League home run King, and MLBbro Aaron Judge.
The Bronx Bomber also has the most 460 or more-foot homers tracked by Statcast (2015, including playoffs) with 18.
The next three MLBbros behind Stanton are 36-year-old Andrew McCutchen (297), 30-year-old Mookie Betts (244), and 31-year-old Judge (242).
Judge has the best chance to surpass Stanton and Cabrera. After his historic 2022 campaign, he currently averages 30 homers per season while only having played eight years in the Majors thus far, which puts him on pace for 602 career homers through 20 seasons of play. That would place him 10th all-time, just seven homers shy of tying Sammy Sosa.
Erasing The Past, Burying Inspiration | Florida Counties Remove Hank Aaron & Roberto Clemente Books From School Libraries
Duval and Manatee counties in Florida have thrown bean balls to the legacy of Black baseball in American history. The impact of Hank Aaron’s greatness has literally been shoved into a dark closet as the state begins the assault on Black history. Books aimed at teaching children about how Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente overcame racism to become both baseball and American icons were removed from schools in Duvall County.
Florida Pulling Books About Black & Hispanic Legends
According to Audacy.com, “Henry Aaron’s Dream” which was published in 2010, was one of 176 books that deal with historical minority themes which have been banished in an attempt to suppress the historical impact of Jim Crow on society.
The book was one of two involving minority baseball greats that were pulled from library shelves throughout the county as the state begins its process of erasing the history of minorities from its public-school curriculum. In addition to the book chronicling Aaron’s drive to become a baseball icon, a “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” book published in 2005 reportedly has “been kept in storage with little indication of when they might return to classrooms.”
The Puerto Rican legend Clemente and Aaron are both icons in their respective communities and have had incredible impact on the shaping of this country and the global popularity of baseball.
These books are considered “under review” after an amendment was made to House Bill 1467 passed last July requiring books in classroom libraries to be “approved and selected by a media specialist.”
The bill, which is a part of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ agenda to nullify slavery and its cultural influence on Black American history being taught in public schools, gives school districts the right to deem reading materials “inappropriate” if they conclude it “is not suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented, or is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used.”
Books Must Be Approved By “Media Specialist”
The Washington Post reported in January that teachers were told books must be approved by a qualified school media specialist, who must undergo a state retraining on book collection.
DeSantis is presumed to be one of the top Republican candidates in the 2024 Presidential race and has laid down a gauntlet that this will be one of his major platforms. However, the decision could put the state and Major League Baseball into a political quandary. Bradenton, FL, interestingly enough, is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is the Manatee County seat.
That’s definitely something to watch as reports of what Florida’s educational system is doing continues to circulate within the MLB world. Hank Aarona nd Roberto Clemente are two of the most respected and important figures in modern baseball and American history. They endured extreme racism, socio-economic poverty, government and police oppression, while standing as voices for unheard minorities and immigrants. Accomplishing all of this with the power of baseball and the remarkably perfect way they expressed the game.
Florida Plays Historical Role In Integration Of Baseball
There are 15 teams that host spring training in the Sunshine State and historically, Florida is a state that was under the microscope of inclusion as MLB began its painful process of integration. Vero Beach became known as Dodger Town when the Brooklyn franchise began training there in 1948, leading to other teams across the country whose Black players also faced inclusion issues in hotels and restaurants, joining them.
The stories of these men are proof that anything is possible in this country and despite hardships people can rise above their conditions and create empires of legacy and hope for millions of underserved people for the future. Not sure what’s more American than that.
However, if those stories are told in print in the aforementioned counties, then they could be subject to banishment as well. That’s so MLBbro bad.
Hank Aaron Invitational Is A Summertime Sample Of Baseball’s Black Excellence | Future MLBbros Will Be At Jackie Robinson Training Complex
Deion Sanders made some comments this week about why Blacks and baseball don’t seem to mix anymore like they once did. There’s a disconnect. Many of his points were valid, from high costs pricing certain minority families out of the sport to a low number of Black fathers passing the game on. While all of that is certainly true, MLB’s Diversity Team has been making incremental but successful efforts to increase Black participation in baseball at the grassroots and professional levels.
The Hank Aaron Invitational is one of these developmental programs that identify and encourage Black participation up the ladder.
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