715

[gmase]

Who remembers watching 715? I still have the baseball card I defaced as a kid when he hit the homer (writing the date he broke the record and the pitcher - Al Downing).

RIP Hammerin Hank. The true home run king. 👑
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30759123/long-home-run-king-hank-aaron-dies-86

 

[maildude]

Just heard this coming from ESPN in the other room. Grew up watching this guy play. It was always a treat because he could connect anytime. I remember my dad being a big fan. Thoughts and respect go out to Hank's family and all of those who enjoyed his considerable talents.

 

[Pornfan99]

I remember Hammerin' Hank, too. A lot of media attention (for the time), when he was knocking on Babe's record. I remember reading stories about it years after, about how he received death threats.. I think he got FBI / some type of security / protection, as he got with a few HRs of the record. Sad.

 

[Pornfan99]

Good article on USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-aaron-dies-baseball-hall-of-fame/6676234002/

"There was Atlanta manager Brian Snitker crying on a video call. Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker calling Aaron the greatest influence in his life outside of his father. Former outfielder and team broadcaster Brian Jordan saying he signed as a free agent with Atlanta simply because of Aaron. The baseball community, from Aaron’s former teammates to former commissioner Bud Selig, to Hall of Famers, all telling their favorite stories."

 

[sj1]

Hank Aaron was a Hall Of Famer on & off the field. Great player and a great person. #️⃣4️⃣4️⃣ 🙏

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

RIP to "Hammerin" Hank Aaron, a good man with class who everyone respected. Still remember him hitting 715 against Al Downing and my Los Angeles Dodgers. Maybe him and Tommy Lasorda are splitting a pizza right now. Be nice.

 

[John_8581]

Very sad to hear about Hank Aaron's passing. He was a gentleman off the field helping so many people and young men in the Atlanta community.

https://www.mlb.com/news/hank-aaron-lived-a-remarkable-life-of-grace

He appreciated passing Stan Musial's MLB record of total bases (6143) more than the homerun record. He was most proud of that.

Many racist fans didn't like him. He started getting hate mail during the middle of the 1973 season. Those racist fans were writing letters to Atlanta Stadium as well as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Atlanta's newspaper) Later that ballpark was called Fulton County Stadium. The Braves had to hire a secretary to open up and read all of his fan mail. The suitable letters were then given to Hank. The others were given to the FBI. I also remember the death threats he got when the Braves opened the 1974 season in Cincinnati. His home run off of Jack Billingham in the first inning tied him with Babe Ruth. Those fans telephoned threats in as well as bomb threats into the hotel where the team was staying. It got so bad that the team had to move to another undisclosed hotel in Cincinnati. The FBI and the AFT had to investigate all of them.

He hit 715 off Al Downing into the Braves bullpen in left field. The baseball was caught by Tom House. His mother and nephew made it onto the field to celebrate with Hank. Vin Scully's description of the event was first class!

Hank Aaron was a Hall Of Famer on & off the field. Great player and a great person. #️⃣4️⃣4️⃣ 🙏

Let's end this post on a happy note. His Hall of Fame speech on August 1, 1982:

https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/inside-pitch/hank-aaron-frank-robinson-elected-1982