Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth as the all-time home run leader on April 8, 1974.
Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs during his 23-year career, and his most famous shot, No. 715, came 46 years ago on April 8, 1974. On that day, he surpassed Babe Ruth’s record and delivered one of the signature moments in baseball history.
After the 1973 season, Aaron had hit 713 career home runs, and he wasted no time starting the 1974 campaign by homering off the Reds’ Jack Billingham on Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Braves wanted Aaron to set the record at home, so they benched him for the next game. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn wasn’t keen on that decision and ordered Atlanta to place Aaron back in the lineup. He went 0-for-3 in the series finale before the Braves headed home.
Aaron’s historic moment came during the fourth inning of the Braves’ home opener, when Aaron sent Dodgers starter Al Downing’s high fastball sailing into Atlanta’s bullpen. The 53,775 fans at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium erupted as Aaron rounded the bases and met his teammates and parents at home plate.
The game was briefly stopped for speeches from members of Braves organization before Aaron addressed the crowd.
“I just thank God it’s all over,” he said.
The packed stadium perhaps didn’t know what he meant by that statement, but his family and assistant Carla Koplin Cohn did. Aaron had been plagued by intense media scrutiny leading up to No. 715, but as an African-American star in a league that had integrated less than 30 years prior, he also received hate mail and death threats. Cohn told Sports Illustrated that she sorted through thousands of letters sent to the Braves star in the events leading up to his home run.
Aaron’s moment came as a relief to him and has become a moment relished by baseball fans over the years.
“I feel I can relax now. I feel my teammates can relax. I feel I can have a great season,” Aaron told reporters after the game.
He played two more seasons and hit 40 more home runs before retirement, ending his career with 755. On Aug. 8, 2007, Barry Bonds—who had been linked to PED use—controversially passed Aaron’s mark, but some baseball purists continue to argue Hammerin’ Hank remains the true home run king.
