Born:(1934-02-05)February 5, 1934 Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Died: January 22, 2021(2021-01-22) (aged 86) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 13, 1954, for the Milwaukee Braves
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1976, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average
.305
Hits
3,771
Home runs
755
Runs batted in
2,297
Teams
Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1954–1974)
Milwaukee Brewers (1975–1976)
Career highlights and awards
25× All-Star (1955–1975)
World Series champion (1957)
NL MVP (1957)
3× Gold Glove Award (1958–1960)
2× NL batting champion (1956, 1959)
4× NL home run leader (1957, 1963, 1966, 1967)
4× NL RBI leader (1957, 1960, 1963, 1966)
Atlanta Braves No. 44 retired
Milwaukee Brewers No. 44 retired
Braves Hall of Fame
American Family Field Walk of Fame
Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
MLB records
2,297 career runs batted in
6,856 career total bases
1,477 career extra-base hits
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction
1982
Vote
97.8% (first ballot)
Henry “Hank” Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one of the greatest baseball players in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power-hitting records. He broke the long-standing MLB record for career home runs held by Babe Ruth and remained the career leader for 33 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed his famous total of 755 in 2007. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.[1]
Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). Aaron is also third all-time for career hits (3,771) and fifth in runs scored (2,174). He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron's ability as a hitter can be illustrated by his still having over 3,000 hits even without counting any of his home runs.[2] He was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for one season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25),[a] while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and in 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series.[1]
Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama, one of seven children. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career.[4] By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last former Negro league baseball player on a major league roster. During his time in Major League Baseball, and especially during his run for the home run record, Aaron and his family endured extensive racist threats.[5] His experiences fueled his activism during the civil rights movement.[6]
Aaron was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982 and Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. That same year, he was one of 30 baseball players elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. After his retirement, Aaron held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including the senior vice president, and resided near Atlanta until his death in 2021.[7]
^ ab"Henry Aaron Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
^Simon, Andrew (February 5, 2023). "13 stats that show Hank Aaron's significance". MLB.com.
^Sandomir, Richard (July 15, 2008). "When Midsummer Had Two Classics". The New York Times.
^"Hank Aaron (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
^Jhaveri, Hemal (January 1, 2021). "Hank Aaron's searing words on the racism he faced should never be forgotten". For the Win. USA Today. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
^"Hank Aaron: Baseball icon and civil rights activist dies aged 86". Sky Sports. Reuters. January 23, 2021. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^"Henry Aaron 1954–1974". Atlanta Braves. 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
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Henry “Hank” Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder...
The HankAaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans...
HankAaron Stadium is a baseball park in Mobile, Alabama. From 1997 to 2019, it hosted the Mobile BayBears, a minor-league professional team in the Southern...
baseball player, HankAaron in Jamaica. 2003 - Martin Luther King, Jr. “Salute to Greatness” 2016 - YWCA Woman of Achievement Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion at...
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1953. With a roster of star players such as HankAaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn, the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series...
Cincinnati Clowns and, after a couple of years, relocated to Indianapolis. HankAaron was a Clown for a short period, and the Clowns were also one of the first...
Harry & Harvey. Hank Aaron (1934-2021), Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aguirre (1931–1994), Major League Baseball pitcher Hank Allen (born 1940), Major...
named an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award. He also won his first HankAaron Award as the outstanding hitter in the AL. On April 10, the Red Sox announced...
Lucky Hank is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman based on the 1997 novel Straight Man by Richard...
World Series. Offensive awards include the Silver Slugger Award and the HankAaron Award, while the Cy Young Award and Major League Baseball Reliever of...
Bonds holds the Major League Baseball home run record with 762. He passed HankAaron, who hit 755, on August 7, 2007. The only other players to have hit 700...
with the last two instances occurring with the Braves based in Atlanta. HankAaron led all regulars with a .393 average and 11 hits, including a triple,...
home games at Carson Park in Eau Claire. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees HankAaron, Joe Torre and Ford C. Frick Award recipient Bob Uecker played for Eau...
and left fielder in Major League Baseball. Aaron was the younger brother of Hall of Fame member HankAaron. They were the first siblings to appear in...
middle of a small controversy during HankAaron's pursuit of Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. Aaron's Atlanta Braves opened the season on the...
All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, two HankAaron Awards, and a 2009 Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter was the 28th player to...
League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2022. He has also won two HankAaron Awards, four Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger Awards, the latter of...
Kenny provided the voice of Abner Doubledeal, and HankAaron guest starred as himself and HankAaron XXIV. A new pizza restaurant run by Cygnoids has moved...
returns in MLB The Show 24, now including Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson, HankAaron, and Toni Stone at launch, with more to be added later on. A separate...
Capitol Avenue on which the stadium sits HankAaron Drive, giving Turner Field the street number 755, after Aaron's home run total. The stadium was originally...
record, formerly held by HankAaron. Coincidentally, Bacsik's father had faced Aaron (as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers) after Aaron had hit his 755th home...
are members of the 600 home run club. Four 600 home run club members—HankAaron, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez—are also members of the...
uniforms were also changed from white to yellow. This is the uniform that HankAaron wore with the club in his final seasons and that Robin Yount wore in his...
Freeman was the first Braves rookie to reach 50 RBIs by July 18 since HankAaron accomplished this feat in 1954. He was named NL rookie of the month for...
percentage and slugging percentage. On October 24, 2019, he won the AL HankAaron Award. Trout was also named the AL MVP for his third time in his career...