This Day In Baseball
History: April 23, 1954
It was on this date in 1954 that
Milwaukee Braves rookie outfielder, Hank Aaron, hit the first of what would be
755 career home runs. The home run would come in the sixth inning at Busch
Stadium in St. Louis against Cardinal pitcher Vic Raschi. The Braves would go
on to beat the Cards in 14 innings by a final score of 7-5. For the game, Aaron
would get three hits in seven at bats, two RBIs and two runs scored.
In his rookie season of 1954,
Hammerin’ Hank would play in 122 games, have a batting average of .280, hit 13
home runs and have 69 RBIs while finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Twenty years later, Aaron would break Babe Ruth’s MLB home record of 714, and
retired after the 1976 season with the new mark of 755.
That record would last until
August 7, 2007 when Barry Bonds would become baseball’s new home run king. In
23 years in the Big Leagues, Aaron would play in 3298 games, accumulate 3771
hits (for a .305 batting average), record 2297 RBIs, 240 stolen bases, 1402
walks, and score 2174 runs. He was the National League’s Most Valuable Player
in 1957 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
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