The baseball world is in mourning this week after the death of hall of famer Hank Aaron, who passed away on Friday. He was 86 years-old.
Aaron’s death was confirmed to WSB-TV by his daughter.
Aaron became a baseball legend when he broke MLB’s all-time home run mark on April 8, 1974, with No. 715 surpassing Yankees legend Babe Ruth. While fighting to break this record, he also had to contend with death threats from racist fans.
The New York Post reported that Aaron eventually finished with 755 home runs, a mark that was later beaten by Barry Bonds under the stain of PED use, meaning that to this day many still see Aaron as baseball’s true home run leader. Aaron was known for being a perfect general, earning the respect of fans and his fellow players for the way he carried himself after breaking the record.
“I don’t think too many people got a chance to know me through the years, and that was something that was my own doing, because I’m actually kind of a loner, a guy that has stayed to himself,” Aaron told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2006. “A lot of people thought they knew me, but they really didn’t.”
“They pretend that they know me, but I travel alone,” he added. “I do just about everything alone. I have associates, but I don’t have many friends. I would just want to be remembered as somebody who just tried to be fair with people.”
Aaron was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982, and his 2,297 RBIs are still the most in the history of baseball.
“Hank Aaron’s incredible talent on the baseball field was only matched by his dignity and character, which shone brightly, not only here in Cooperstown, but with every step he took,” Baseball Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.
“His courage while pursuing the game’s all-time home run record served as an example for millions of people inside and outside of the sports world, who were also aspiring to achieve their greatest dreams,” she added. “His generosity of spirit and legendary accomplishments will live in Cooperstown forever. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff of the Hall of Fame, we send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Billye, and his entire family.”
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