Major League Baseball schedule makers had to make sure the Braves had a home game on April 8 this year.
It’s a significant date in Braves history. It’s a significant date in MLB history.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron becoming baseball’s all-time home run king when he hit No. 715 on April 8, 1974. Aaron hit a fourth-inning home run off the Dodgers’ Al Downing that sent him past Babe Ruth.
In his first at-bat at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Aaron walked and scored on a Dusty Baker double.
Aaron’s home run came on a 1-0 fastball to left field. After the homer, broadcaster Vin Scully said, “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.”
Aaron passed away Jan. 21, 2021 at the age of 86. The Baseball Hall of Famer ended his career with 755 home runs.
On the 50th anniversary, the Braves will host the Mets on April 8 at 7:20 p.m. It is the first game of a four-game series with the Mets and the second series of the team’s opening homestand, which begins with a three-game set against the Diamondbacks. The Braves open the season with a two-city trip at the Phillies and White Sox.
The Braves have not announced specific plans on how the team will celebrate the milestone moment. There will be a Hank Aaron ‘74 Home Run Record bobblehead giveaway that night.
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