Hammerin' Hank - RIP

Henry “Hank” Aaron, who passed away today just a couple weeks before he would have celebrated his 87 birthday, was one of my heroes when I was just a young lad in Wisconsin and he played in the outfield for my Milwaukee Braves.

I was in the stands in Milwaukee’s old County Stadium in September 1957 when he hit a two run walk off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 and give the Braves the National League pennant with a record of 95-59, eight games ahead of St. Louis (this was before there were pennant playoff series).  The Braves would go on to best the defending champion New York Yankees four games to three to win the 1957 World Series, the only one the Braves would win while the team was based in Milwaukee and before is stole away in the night to Atlanta after the 1965 season.

The Hammer played for the Braves organization for 21 seasons.   And even through the  team was dead to me after it headed south, Hank Aaron would always remain a favorite.  He was a home run hitting machine and he always seemed to hit them with style and when they were needed most.

Toward the end of the 1973 season The Hammer was closing in on Babe Ruth’s all time  record of 714 dingers.  Aaron hit #713 with just one game left in the season and I hoped he would surpass, or at least tie the record.  It was not to be.  When the 1974 season opened there was talk of benching Aaron for the opening games on the road in Cincinnati in the hope he might break the record at home in Atlanta.  He suited up for opening day, and he tied Ruth’s record on the first pitch of his first at bat of the new season.  The Braves returned to Atlanta for a home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1974.  I was sitting in a saloon watching the game on TV.  #715 went over the fence in the fourth inning and the rest is history.

Hammerin’ Hank returned to Milwaukee and County Stadium where it all started in 1955 for his final two season with the Brewers.  He hit his last home run – #755 – on July 20, 1976 at home.  That record would stand for 33 years until it was broken by Gary Bonds in 2007.  Bonds later admitted to taking steroids and as far as I am concerned Aaron still holds the crown.  He won it fair and square.

There may never be another like Hammerin’ Hank Aaron.  What a joy it was to watch him play.  May he rest in peace.