Hank Aaron: Biography, Stats, and Facts

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Biography of Hank Aaron

The man, who is known to the world as Hammering Hank, was born Henry Louis Aaron on the 5th February, 1934. Born in Mobile on the outskirts of Alabama, Aaron grew up in Toulminville. His family was poor and as a young boy, he had to work in a farm picking cotton. People believe that this childhood occupation strengthened his hands, which later helped him in his baseball career. He would hit bottle caps with sticks since his parents were unable to afford baseball gear for him.

He studied at Central High School and in his years as a freshman and sophomore, he led his school to victory in the Mobile Negro High School Championship. In 1949, he had his first try out with a Major League Baseball (MLB ) team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his junior year at the Josephine Allen Institute, he joined a Negro League team, the Mobile Black Bears. On November 20, 1951 at the age of 18, Aaron’s professional Minor League career took off when Ed Scott signed him with the Indianapolis Clowns.

Aaron was instrumental in the 1952 Negro League World Series victory of the Clowns. Midway in his first season, he was bought by Boston Braves for $10,000. In 1952 because of his exceptional performance in the Braves’ Northern League All-Star Team, Aaron was declared Rookie of the Year. In 1953, Aaron was taken by the Jacksonville Tars, the Braves South Atlantic associates. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Year Award because of his performance in the league championship.

On October 6th, 1953 Aaron married Barbara Lewis.

Bobby Thompson fractured his ankle and opened the gates for Aaron’s first appearance in the Milwaukee Braves on 13th March, 1954. He hit a home run and sealed a contract with the Braves, which lasted for the next 21 years. April 13th marked the beginning of a glorious partnership with Eddie Mathews who shared 863 hits as teammates.

In 1955, Aaron saw the beginning of a record 21 appearances in the All-Star team. In 1957, Aaron won the prestigious Most Valuable Player Award. This would be his only MVP award. In 1958 he won his first Golden Glove award. Aaron would go on to become the first player with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.

The following years were marked by Aaron reaching one milestone after another; he set new records, which would remain unbroken for a long time.

In 1973, Aaron came very close to breaking Babe Ruth’s record of home runs but couldn’t reach the milestone by just one home run. That year Aaron was threatened with innumerable death threats in the mail from people who did want a black man to break the hallowed record of Ruth.

On April 8th, 1974 Aaron hit his 715th home run and the crowd of more than 53,000 people burst into celebration. On October 5th of the same year, he hit his last home run as a Brave and moved to the Milwaukee Brewers. On the 1st of May, 1975, Aaron broke Ruth’s all time baseball runs-batted-in record of 2,217. July 20th 1976 saw Aaron’s 755th home run, which was also his final since he bowed out of professional baseball.

I had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story is a book that details Aaron’s life from his childhood dream to his Babe Ruth’s record breaking glory. The book gives an idea about the amount of injustices and racial discriminations he faced during his early life and career.

Hank Aaron Statistics

Hank Aaron played 3298 games, which made him the third in this list. His record of 12,364 at-bats is the second best of all time. He is tied in third position with Babe Ruth in the list of runs at 2174. He has a record of 3771 hits, which is the third best of all time. He is the first American with 755 hits. He has 2297 runs batted-in, which is the best of all time.

Aaron has an average of .366 from 26 Negro League games, 5 home runs, 33 runs batted-in, 41 hits and 9 stolen bases.

His 1956 season had an average of .328, the 1957 season saw .322 and his 1958 season average was .326. In 1957, his team also won the World Series and he had hit a two-run walk off. He led the 1963 league with 44 home runs and 130 runs batted-in. This was the season when he became the third player to steal 30 bases and hit 30 home runs, all in one season.

When he hit his 550th home run, Aaron became the eighth player to do so. In 1971, he became the third player to hit 600 home runs. That year he also hit 40 home runs, which is a record.

Facts about Hank Aaron

1. Aaron decided to become a baseball player at 14 when his father took him to watch Jackie Robinson play.

2. The New York Giants and the Boston Braves offered him contracts and he signed with the latter because they offered an extra $50 dollars per month.

3. Aaron and his brother Tommie hold the record of maximum home runs by siblings for the same team.

4. Aaron began his career with a cross-handed grip though he was a right hander. He averaged .467 in his school league with this awkward grip.

5. The day he broke Babe Ruth’s record, two white students ran along his side as a mark of respect and appreciation in the face of protests against black players.

Resources about Hank Aaron

Baseball Hall of Fame Hank Aaron induction.
More information about Hank Aaron

Resource by F.Rosseti

I am a teacher in Michigan. I grew up in Florida and have lived here in MI for close to 15 years. I enjoy writing and skiing in my spare time.

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