Monday, April 8, 1974 -9:07 p.m. - Atlanta Fulton County Staduim, Atlanta, GAHank Aaron became the owner of the most hallowed record in sports as he slammed his 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth.
At the age of 39, Aaron managed to slug 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the season one home run short of the record. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season many expected him to tie the record. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (led by manager Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to hit one out of the park. After the game, Aaron stated that his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season.
Over the winter, Aaron was the recipient of death threats and a large assortment of hate mail from people who did not want to see a black man break Ruth's nearly sacrosanct home run record. The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. Lewis Grizzard, then editor of the Atlanta Journal, reported receiving numerous phone calls calling them "nigger lovers" for covering Aaron's chase. While preparing the massive coverage of the home run record, he quietly had an obituary written, scared that Aaron might be murdered.
Aaron received an outpouring of public support in response to the bigotry. Babe Ruth's widow, Claire Hodgson, even denounced the racism and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record.
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the home run record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three game series against the Red. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta, and were therefore going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. But Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two games in the first series. He played two out of three, tying Babe Ruth's record in his very first at bat off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series.
The team returned to Atlanta, and on April 8, 1974, a crowd of 53,775 people showed up for the game — a Braves attendance record. In the 4th inning, Aaron hit career home run number 715 off L.A. Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner (of later fame of his own) nearly went over the outfield wall trying to catch it, but the ball landed in the Braves bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it. I’m sure everyone remembers the cannons being fired in celebration, while two white college students sprinted onto the field and jogged alongside Aaron as he circled the base paths. (Aaron later admitted that his first thought was that they were trying to murder him.) As the fans cheered wildly, Aaron's mother ran onto the field as well. At 9:07 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 1974 the long ordeal was finally over. Good for him.........
