Interactive: Explore Hank Aaron’s legendary career
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron dethroned Babe Ruth to become the leader in all-time career home runs. But his accomplishments on the diamond go further than just home runs.
Aaron’s illustrious 23-season-long career culminated with him sitting atop multiple record books. His record for career runs batted in (RBI) still stands to this day at 2,297, along with his record for extra base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856).
While only a few of his records stand to this day, Aaron is a constant presence close to the top on many scoreboards. His record for career home runs (755) stood for 33 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed him for 762; he’s now second all-time. Aaron is third in the standings for career hits (3,771) and games played (3,298). Aaron is fifth in runs scored (2,174) and fourth in intentional walks (293).
Below is a visual exploration of each time Hank Aaron stepped up to bat across his career.
April 8: The day Hank Aaron became the home run king
2024 marks 50 years since Hank Aaron’s 715th historic and record-setting home run. Learn more about the man and his moment
Hank Aaron honored with new statue at Baseball Hall of Fame
April 2024: Braves honor Hank Aaron’s record and his life with ceremonies at Truist Park
Hank Aaron anniversary: About the animated image with glittering lights from AJC
Atlanta remembers: Where to find Aaron anniversary section, book from AJC
Dusty Baker | On historic homer: ‘I’m going to get it over with right now’
Furman Bisher | From 1974: A witness to history
Tom House | Getting a ‘thanks, kid’ after delivering the historic memento
Ralph Garr | ‘God knew what he was doing’ picking Hank Aaron to break home run record
From 2021: Hank Aaron’s funeral a tribute to more than a baseball great
Our coverage of Hank Aaron’s 50th anniversary of 715
About the Author
Rahul Deshpande is a software engineer and data journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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