Hank Aaron Breaks Home Run Record
Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, surpassing Babe Ruth's all-time record
April 08, 1974
Chasing a Legend
On April 8, 1974, Henry "Hank" Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, breaking the record of 714 set by Babe Ruth, which had stood for 39 years. Ruth's record had long been considered one of the most untouchable marks in American sports. Aaron had been creeping up on the record for years, and as he got close, the pressure mounted to an almost unbearable degree. He received thousands of pieces of hate mail from people who could not accept that a Black man was about to surpass the most iconic white baseball player in the sport's history. The FBI was called in to investigate death threats, and Aaron wore a protective vest for a period.
The Home Run Heard Around Baseball
The record-breaking home run came in the fourth inning of a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aaron connected off pitcher Al Downing and drove the ball over the left-center field fence. As he rounded the bases, two fans ran onto the field and briefly jogged beside him. His mother ran out of the stands to embrace him at home plate. Broadcaster Vin Scully's call — "What a marvelous moment for baseball, what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world" — captured the historic weight of the achievement.
A Legacy Beyond the Numbers
Hank Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit his 756th in 2007. But Aaron's legacy is about more than numbers. He was a model of consistent excellence over a long career, and he endured racism throughout his time in baseball — both in the segregated minor leagues and in his pursuit of Ruth's record. He later became a senior executive with the Braves and a champion of opportunities for Black managers and front-office officials in baseball. When Aaron died in January 2021, tributes from across the sporting world recalled not just his record but his dignity, grace, and quiet strength throughout a career that demanded enormous courage off the field as well as on it.