(born 1934). Major league baseball star Hank Aaron was described as one of the most untiring power hitters in the history of the game. He played for 23 seasons between 1954 and 1976. He also broke batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial, earning the nickname Hammerin' Hank. Saint Louis pitcher Curt Simmons once said, “Throwing a fastball by Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak sunrise past a rooster.”
Early life
The third of eight children, Henry Louis Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. Even as a young boy Hank hoped to play professional baseball. In high school, however, he played football because his school did not have a baseball team. Then, at age 16, he began playing shortstop with the semiprofessional Mobile Black Bears baseball team.
Career
Aaron began his professional career in 1952 playing a few months as a shortstop with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. That same year he won the rookie of the year award, and in 1953 he was honored as most valuable player (MVP). In 1954 Aaron joined the Boston Braves of the National League, where he played mostly as an outfielder. Aaron posted good numbers in his rookie year despite a broken ankle that limited his season to 122 games.
In 1955 Aaron established himself as a perennial all-star with a .314 batting average, 27 home runs, 106 runs batted in (RBI), and 105 runs scored. The following year he won the first of his two National League batting titles with an average of .328 while also leading the league in hits and doubles. In 1957 his .322 average and league-leading 44 home runs and 132 RBIs led the Braves to their first World Series title and Aaron was named the league's MVP.
Before the Braves moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of 1965, Aaron had hit 398 home runs in his career. On April 8, 1974, he hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 714, which had stood since 1935. After the 1974 baseball season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League.
Retirement
Aaron retired as a player after the 1976 baseball season with a lifetime batting average of .305. He returned to the Braves that same year as vice president in charge of player development. After 13 years in that role, he was appointed senior vice president and assistant to the team's president. Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 13, 1982. His career batting records include 755 home runs, 1,477 extra-base hits, and 2,297 RBIs.
