ATLANTA — “That ball is gonna be … outta here! It’s gone! It’s 715! There’s a new home run champion of all time, and it’s Henry Aaron!”
With the swing of a bat and that call from Milo Hamilton on WSB Radio, Braves legend Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron put his name in the history books on April 8, 1974.
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This week will mark the 51st anniversary of Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time leaders list. Aaron crushed a fastball off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in front of the home crowd of 53,775 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
In the months and weeks leading up to No. 715, Aaron received countless racist letters and death threats.
“I thought that everybody hated me,” Aaron told retired Channel 2 anchor Jocelyn Dorsey in a People 2 People interview. “I got so many letters ... the ones that I opened started off by being so hateful and spiteful.”
Aaron said it made him frightful of his surroundings, and there were some road trips where he wouldn’t go out of the team hotel. He had meals delivered to his room and security escorted him to and from the ballpark.
Aaron told Dorsey that he always looked to his mother and reflected on her words.
“She said, ‘Son, let me just say this. God gave you the ability to play baseball. I want you to play it well all the time as you can possibly play. Whatever will be will be,’” Aaron said. “In spite of all the things I went through, I had to think about those words that she gave me. And it stuck with me.”
After Aaron broke the record, his mother Estella was one of the first people he greeted at home plate. Here are memorable photos from that historic night.
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Watch the home run:
Listen to WSB Radio call:
Hank’s final goodbye at the site where he made history:
More Channel 2 interviews:
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