Today in Sports History: April 8th

(Hank Aaron belts out his record-breaking home run. Photo courtesy of SI Photos)

4/08/1974 - Hank Aaron passes the Babe

It was on this day some decades ago that Hank Aaron delivered the most memorable home run in Major League history. His shot over the left field wall was career home run number 715, passing Babe Ruth for the most longballs of all time. Aaron had to deal with the racism that followed a black athlete breaking a white man's record and handled it with the same decorum Jackie Robinson displayed twenty-seven years earlier.

Atlanta Fulton-Country Stadium was packed with a record 53,775 people. It was the first match of a four-game set and there was plenty of buzz in the air. The visiting LA Dodgers threw former 20-game winner Al Downing to the mound, whose career would later be dwarfed by the infamy of giving up Aaron's home run.

After walking in his first at-bat, Aaron once again stepped to the plate in the 4th inning. Downing threw it low and Hank belted it over the left field wall, into the Braves bullpen where it was caught by reliever Tom House. The scoreboard flashed 715, fireworks erupted, the fans celebrated. Braves radio announcer Milo Hamilton famously captured the zeitgeist of the moment:

"There's a drive to left-center field. That ball is going to be... Outta here! It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of alltime, and it's Henry Aaron!"

(Aaron rounds second, with two men chasing him. Photo courtesy of AP)

Dodgers announcer Vin Skully also gave an appropriate call: "There's a high drive into deep left-center field. Buckner goes back, to the fence, it is gone! (Scully then paused for about 25 seconds as the crowd cheered.) What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it's a great moment for all of us and particularly for Henry Aaron, who is met at home plate not only by every member of the Braves but by his father and mother."

As Aaron rounded third base, two young fans, Britt Gaston and Cliff Courtney, ran onto the field to join Hank in his trot. Aaron's bodyguard, Cal Wardlaw, had his hand on his revolver but thankfully didn't have to use it; the two fans praisingly slapped Aaron's back and ran from the scene as he rounded third.

After touching home plate, the game was paused for a celebration. A dejected Downing watched silently from the dugout as a herd of reporters, teammates, and loved ones met Aaron at home plate. Tom House walked from the bullpen and handed Aaron the ball. "Thanks kid," Aaron replied. Hank would later admit that the glasses and warm-up jacket House wore made him think he was a bat boy.

One man not in attendance was commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who had made arrangements to speak at a Cleveland Indians fan club (something Aaron never forgave). Monte Irvin, the man representing the commissioner, was greeted with a chorus of boos at the uttering of Kuhn's name. Irvin presented Aaron with a diamond-encrusted watch while the governor handed him a license plate marked "HLA 715."

Finally Hank stepped to the microphone and truthfully stated, "I'd just like to thank god it's over with." After the game he received a congratulatory call from Richard Nixon (who would resign exactly four months later) and Bowie Kuhn.

Gaston and Courtney were taken to a local jail where they were bailed by Gaston's parents. The charges on both of them were dropped at the request of Aaron. Al Downing has actually made a living serving up #715; he's done autograph signings with Aaron and gets as much per ball as he does. Hank was never considered better than Willie Mays during his playing days, but thanks to becoming the home run king, the two are now regarded almost as equals. Aaron is no longer the home run champion, but thanks to the disposition people have with Barry Bonds and the steroid era, no one will forget Aaron's accomplishments for a long, long time.

Also on this day:

1996: The Charlotte Hornets defeat the Chicago Bulls in the United Center, snapping the Bulls' record 44-game home winning streak. Michael Jordan scores 40 in defeat, but misses a tip-in that could've given the Bulls the win.

Further reading:

Audio clips of Skully, Hamilton, and Curt Gowdy's call [SteelYankee]