Hammerin’ Hank
When Henry “Hank” Aaron was a young boy growing up in Mobile, Alabama, in the early 1940s, he played sandlot—or, vacant lot—baseball. He was very athletic and spent the long summers running, fielding, and hitting with his friends. Who knew that 10 years later he would be playing with the National Baseball League’s Milwaukee Braves?
Hank Aaron was one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. In fact, in 1974, exactly 20 years after starting his professional career, he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. By the end of his 23-year career, Aaron had hit 755 home runs.
Aaron began his career playing shortstop in the Negro American League—an association of teams made up of African American players who had been shut out of white professional baseball. In those days, the life of a baseball player was hard. Players traveled a great deal, played many games, and earned very little money. Despite the many hardships, Hank Aaron continued to play.
After a short time in the Negro American League, Aaron was recruited by the Milwaukee Braves of the National League in 1952. He was assigned to minor-league teams, first in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, then in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1954, he gained a spot on the Braves’ major league team, thereafter playing mostly as an outfielder.
Aaron was consistently a great hitter, which in time earned him the nickname “Hammerin’ Hank.” When he played with the South Atlantic League in 1953, he had a .362 batting average. In 1956, he won the league batting championship with an average of .328, and in 1957, he led his team to victory in the World Series; he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. By the time the Braves moved to Atlanta, at the end of 1965, Aaron had hit 398 home runs.
On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record, which had stood since 1935. On that spring day in Atlanta, the largest crowd in Braves history came out to witness the event. There were 53,775 fans in attendance, and Aaron did not disappoint them. In the fourth inning, he ripped an Al Downing pitch over the fence and into the Braves’ bullpen, where reliever Tom House caught it. As Aaron rounded second base, two college students appeared and ran alongside him before security stepped in. The new home run king was mobbed at home plate by his teammates.
After retiring as a player in 1976, Aaron became one of the first blacks in Major League Baseball upper-level management as Atlanta’s vice president of player development. Eight years later, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame—a mark of distinction Aaron could add to the many honors he had earned during his long, distinguished career.
4
Select the correct answer.
Look at the time line based on the passage.
Which detail belongs in box #1?
A.
Was assigned to minor-league teams
B.
Won the league batting championship
C.
Moved to Milwaukee
D.
Had a .362 batting average
Reset Next
