Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record 46 years ago today

Today – April 8 – marks 46 years since Wilcox County native Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s longstanding home run record with his 715^th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On April 8, 1974, Aaron, who was born in Wilcox County and grew up in Mobile, started in left field for the Atlanta Braves and entered the game with 714 career home runs, tied with baseball legend Babe Ruth for the all-time record. That game was played in the old Atlanta Stadium and there was a record crowd of 53,775 people on hand for the game. Because the 40-year-old Aaron was on the verge of passing Ruth, this Monday night game was broadcast nationwide by NBC.

Left-hander Al Downing got the pitching start for the Dodgers and walked Aaron in his first at-bat of the game, which came in the bottom of the second inning. (Oddly, Aaron and Downing both wore jersey No. 44 for their respective teams.) The next Atlanta batter, centerfielder Dusty Baker, who currently serves as the manager for the Houston Astros, hit a double to left field, driving in Aaron.

Downing was still in the game in the bottom of the fourth as Atlanta’s first batter, third baseman Darrell Evans, reached base on an infield error. Aaron then came to the plate and entered the history books by hitting his record-breaking 715^th home run deep to left field. The ball, which now resides in Cooperstown, N.Y. at the Hall of Fame, flew into the Braves bullpen, where it was caught by Braves relief pitcher, Tom House.

An 11-minute delay in the game ensued as the stadium erupted into celebration as fireworks illuminated the Atlanta night. The now-famous footage of Aaron rounding the bases, which you can watch on YouTube, shows a pair of teenagers running out onto the field, surprising Aaron as he made his way towards home. Aaron was mobbed at the plate by his teammates and a host of well-wishers.

Also on the field that night were Aaron’s parents, Herbert and Estella Aaron, who hugged their famous son near home plate during the celebration. Herbert, who was born in Camden in 1908, passed away in 1998 at the age of 89. Estella was born in 1911 and passed away in 2008 at the age of 96. They are both buried in Mobile’s Magnolia Cemetery.

Aaron would bat twice more in the game, grounding out in the bottom of the fifth against new Dodgers pitcher Mike Marshall and grounding out again in the bottom of the seventh against Dodgers closer Charlie Hough. Looking at the final box score from the game, Aaron went 1-for-3 at the plate, with a homer, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored. Atlanta won the game, 7-4.

In the end, it would be interesting to know if anyone else from Wilcox County was among the 53,775 people in the stadium that night to see Aaron break Ruth’s home run record. It would be interesting to hear about your experience that night or to learn if you have any memorabilia from that game (ticket stubs, game programs, etc.). Also, if you have any additional information about Aaron’s roots in Wilcox County, please let me know because it would be nice to fully document his ties to the Wilcox County area.