Hank Aaron

Lore & Background

Henry Louis Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama, to Herbert Aaron Sr. and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron. He was one of eight children. His family could not afford baseball equipment, so he practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks. Aaron's boyhood idol was baseball star Jackie Robinson. He attended Central High School as a freshman and a sophomore, playing outfield and third base, and helped lead his team to a Negro High School Championship. He also played football and was offered multiple football scholarships, but turned them down for baseball. In 1949, at age 15, Aaron had his first tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers but did not make the team. He later joined the Prichard Athletics and the Mobile Black Bears, independent Negro league teams, earning $3 per game.

Reader's Guide

Aaron's significance lies in his sustained excellence and record-breaking power hitting. 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 15 times. He holds MLB records for most career runs batted in (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). He is third all-time for career hits (3,771) and fifth in runs scored (2,174). Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for one season, holding the record for most All-Star selections (25) and sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24). He was a three-time Gold Glove winner and won the NL MVP Award in 1957 when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. During his pursuit of the home run record, Aaron and his family endured extensive racist threats, which fueled his activism during the civil rights movement. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

Did You Know?

• Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record and remained the career leader for 33 years until Barry Bonds surpassed his total of 755 in 2007.
• He holds the MLB record for most career runs batted in (2,297) and most total bases (6,856).
• Aaron was the last former Negro league baseball player on a major league roster by his final MLB season.
• He and his brother Tommie Aaron held the record for most career home runs by a pair of siblings (768).

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious. When I get out on the field, nothing's a joke to me. I don't feel like I should walk around with a smile on my face." — Hank Aaron "I like those lefties, but when you're hitting, all pitchers look alike. I don't care too much who's throwing or what he throws. When my timing is off, I have trouble; when it ain't, I don't." — Hank Aaron "Didn't come up here to read. Came up here to hit." — Hank Aaron "[W]hen I was a little boy, my daddy said to me, "Henry, never hurry unless you have to." I've remembered that all my life and here I am in the major leagues." — Hank Aaron