Hank Aaron came into life on Feb. 5, 1934, in Mobile on the wrong side of segregation. He left it on Friday as a national icon.
WGCL-TV in Atlanta reported Aaron’s death at age 86, and Major League Baseball confirmed the news on Friday morning.
“Hank Aaron is near the top of everyone’s list of all-time great players,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement released by the Commissioner’s Office. “His monumental achievements as a player were surpassed only by his dignity and integrity as a person. Hank symbolized the very best of our game, and his all-around excellence provided Americans and fans across the world with an example to which to aspire. His career demonstrates that a person who goes to work with humility every day can hammer his way into history -- and find a way to shine like no other.
“Hank eagerly supported our efforts to celebrate the game’s best and to find its next generation of stars, including through the Hank Aaron Award, which recognizes offensive excellence by Major League players, and the Hank Aaron Invitational, which provides exposure to elite young players. He became a close friend to me in recent years as result of his annual visit to the World Series. That friendship is one of the greatest honors of my life. I am forever grateful for Hank’s impact on our sport and the society it represents, and he will always occupy a special place in the history of our game. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Hank’s wife, Billye, their family, the fans of Atlanta and Milwaukee, and the millions of admirers earned by one of the pillars of our game.”
No cause of death has been reported, but the Atlanta Braves, with whom Aaron was associated for half a century, said he died peacefully in his sleep.
Aaron reached the height of his fame on April, 8, 1974 – a misty night in Georgia when the Atlanta Braves outfielder hit an offering from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing over the left-field fence in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for his 715th home run in the big leagues.
When Aaron pushed aside Babe Ruth’s revered record of 714 – the most famous number in sports -- it ended a quest during which the slugger endured racist hate mail and threats against his life. On the night Aaron broke the record, his bodyguard stood disguised as a fan, ready with a gun hidden in a binoculars case, and police snipers were on the stadium roof, fortunately showing life-saving judgment when two teenagers jumped out of the stands to join Aaron during his trot around the bases.
“These people feel this is going to be a weak part of me,” Aaron said about the hate mail he began to receive when it became apparent he would threaten Ruth’s record. “They think they’ll upset me with their words or their shouts, that they’ll get me where I can’t do the job. This won’t happen. I don’t like it, but I always do my best. This only makes me more determined.”
Sports Illustrated later reported that Aaron received 930,000 pieces of mail in 1973. No. 715 has been called “the home run that changed America.” After Aaron broke the record, his detractors melted away.
“Hank Aaron’s incredible talent on the baseball field was only matched by his dignity and character, which shone brightly, not only here in Cooperstown, but with every step he took,” Baseball Hall of Fame chair Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement released on Wednesday. “His courage while pursuing the game’s all-time home run record served as an example for millions of people inside and outside of the sports world, who were also aspiring to achieve their greatest dreams. His generosity of spirit and legendary accomplishments will live in Cooperstown forever. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff of the Hall of Fame, we send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Billye, and his entire family.”
Aaron learned baseball on the sandlots of Mobile and honed his batting eye hitting hurled bottle caps with sticks. He was good enough that local scout Ed Scott signed him to play for the Indianapolis Clowns in the rapidly dying Negro Leagues, where Aaron got his first pro experience in 1952 as a shortstop making $200 a month.
Two months into his pro career, Aaron had been discovered by “organized” baseball, which until its integration by Aaron’s hero and mentor, Jackie Robinson, in 1947, had been all-white in the 20th century. Aaron helped integrate the Northern League at Eau Claire in 1952 and the South Atlantic League at Jacksonville in 1953, all the time hitting like a top prospect.
Aaron also became the first African American player for the National League’s Milwaukee Braves in 1954, jumping from Double-A baseball to the big leagues and becoming the final player from the Negro Leagues to reach the Major Leagues.
When Bobby Thompson, Milwaukee’s regular left fielder, broke his ankle in spring training, the Braves put Aaron into the lineup and he stayed in the big leagues for 23 seasons.
Along the way, Aaron was selected for a record 25 All-Star games and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
On Aug. 7, 2007, San Francisco Giants left fielder Barry Bonds hit the 756th home run of his career to replace Aaron as baseball’s all-time leader. The JumboTron at AT&T Park in San Francisco showed a congratulatory message from Aaron.
But where he once was the object of resentment for breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record, Aaron endured as baseball’s true home run king for many baseball fans because of Bonds’ association with steroids.
Even though his career home run record was broken, Aaron remains Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in runs batted in, extra-base hits and total bases.
In 1999, MLB created the Aaron Award, which is presented annually to the best hitter in each league. Later that year, Aaron was named to baseball’s All-Century Team and joined the other living members of the team at the announcement before the All-Star game at Fenway Park. In fan balloting for the All-Century Team, Aaron finished third behind Lou Gehrig and Ruth.
After his playing days, Aaron became an executive for the Atlanta Braves, a successful businessman and a philanthropist through his Chasing the Dream Foundation.
In 2001, President Bill Clinton presented Aaron with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian award.
In 2002, Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.