ATLANTA -- Forty-four years ago today, Hank Aaron sent a 1-0 pitch from Los Angeles pitcher Al Dowling over the outfield wall of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, and earned a place in baseball immortality.
It was on April 8, 1974, when Aaron, after a long offseason where his career sat at 714 home runs, broke Babe Ruth's all-time baseball record.
Born in Mobile, Ala., Aaron's big-league career began in 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves, who relocated to Atlanta in 1966. Aaron remained with the team through 1974, and then ended his career two seasons later with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Aaron's lifetime numbers are 3,771 hits; 624 doubles; 98 triples; 2,297 RBIs; 240 stolen bases; 1,402 walks; and a lifetime batting average of .305.
Aaron tied Ruth's record at the end of the 1973 season, setting up a full offseason of anticipation until the '74 season began.
The closer he got to Ruth's record, however, the more vitriolic his detractors became. Aaron received thousands of hate-filled letters and death threats. But the grace and humility with which he handled the pressure may be an even greater legacy than his remarkable baseball career.
“I never want them to forget Babe Ruth," Aaron said in his Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech. "I just want them to remember Henry Aaron.”
Hank, no one will ever forget you.