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April 8
⚾ Hank Aaron becomes Homerun King
TODAY ON THE DAILY HIGHLIGHT
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April 8, 1974, Atlanta Braves superstar Hank Aaron makes baseball history when he breaks Babe Ruth’s career record for home runs with a blast off Al Downing of the Dodgers.
Hank Aaron’s Historic Climb to Home Run King
On July 30, 1969, Hank Aaron hit his 537th home run, surpassing Mickey Mantle for third on the all-time list. Over the next five seasons, he continued his assault on the record books, becoming the first player with both 500 homers and 3,000 hits, setting NL records for consecutive 30- and 40-homer seasons, and finishing in the top three of MVP voting multiple times.
By 1973, Aaron was within striking distance of Babe Ruth’s record. But with the chase came an overwhelming wave of racist hate mail and death threats, revealing the ugly side of America’s pastime.
Aaron received so much hate mail it took an entire room in the Braves clubhouse. Despite the backlash, he pressed on, finishing the season with 713 home runs.
During the start of the 1974, Aaron tied the mark in Cincinnati, hitting his 714th (Listen here). The Braves wanted to sit Aaron so he had the chance to set the mark at home in Atlanta. However the commissioner Bowie Kuhn forced the Braves to play Aaron. After going 1-3 in game one, Aaron went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts in game 3.
On April 8, 1974, before a record Braves crowd, Aaron stepped up in the 4th inning with a man on first and no outs, Dodgers up 3-1 at the time and he launched a 1-0 pitch from Al Downing that landed in the glove of Tom House over the left center field wall. (Read Tom House’s remember that night). As he rounded the bases, two fans joined him (Craig Sager was one of them), and his mother embraced him at home plate (trying to protect him) —as part celebration, part relief. Hank Aaron had not just broken a record; he had triumphed over hate.
The Braves would win the game 7-4. Aaron held onto the feelings that built up over time. He refuse an invite from Bowie Kuhn to celebrate his HR mark. And Terence Moore, details his feelings when comparing his chase to Cal Ripken, Pete Rose and other stars from the game.
You can listen here to 715 here.
Game of the Day
April 8, 1969 Montreal Expos vs New York Mets
Expos first game!
Did you know?
April 8, 1933 - Prior to a pre-season contest in New York, (and exactly one week before Schoolboy Rowe's official major league debut), the highly touted Tigers pitching prospect launches a batting practice bomb into the Polo Grounds' center-field bleachers, a feat never before performed since the stadium's 1923 reconfiguration. It will be more than 15 years—July 18, 1948, to be precise—before Rowe's feat is finally matched in the course of a game, by Negro Leaguer Luke Easter, and roughly 20—i.e. April 29, 1953—before the first major league version, courtesy of Joe Adcock.
🎙️ Classic Baseball Moment of the Day! 🎙️
Don Larsen(1956), Sandy Koufax(1965), Bob Gibson (64,67 and 68), Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams (1941), Clemente 1971, Brooks 1970, Oakland Three Peat and so many others!
With Classic Baseball Broadcasts, you can relive these legendary moments through the actual radio calls that made history!
Relive baseball history, one play at a time. Dive into the archives and feel the magic of baseball’s golden era.
Trivia:
Bill Russell makes his major league debut, he will be game the all time leader in games played at shortstop and be part of the Dodgers infield that set the record for games played together.
Name the other 3.
Hint: The answer is below
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
April 8, 1916 Outfielder Tris Speaker is still a holdout as a reaction to Boston Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin’s proposal to cut his salary from $11,000 to $9,000. Speaker wants $15,000. The Red Sox, in anticipation of resolving the contract dispute by trading Speaker, purchase OF Tilly Walker from the St. Louis Browns.
April 8, 1946, future Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter is born in Hertford, North Carolina. Hunter will make his debut in 1965 and will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
He was a 8X All-Star, won the AL Cy Young Award in 1974 (318 IP, 23 CG, 6 shutouts, league-leading 25 wins & 2.49 ERA), pitched a perfect game in 1968, won 20 games 5 straight years, and was a member of 5 World Series champions (1972-74 Oakland A’s, 1977-78 New York Yankees). His uniform #27 is retired by the Athletics. Jim was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987 (76.2% on the 3rd ballot). Jim passed away in 1999 at the age of 53 (from ALS).
April 8, 1969 After a long recovery following a 1967 beaning, Tony Conigliaro starts his first game for the Boston Red Sox. His dramatic two-run 10th-inning home run gives the Red Sox a brief lead, and his 12th-inning run wins it, 5 – 4, over the Baltimore Orioles home team. Tony C, will struggle throughout his comeback and miss the entire 1972 -74 seasons, before making a final attempt on this day in 1975.
April 8, 1969 – At Shea Stadium, the Montreal Expos defeat the New York Mets, 11 – 10, to keep the Mets winless for openers. Pitcher Dan McGinn hits the Expos’ first home run as the key hit, a three-run home run by Coco Laboy, is given up by Canadian-born Mets reliever Ron Taylor.
Jim “Mudcat” Grant was the starting pitcher for the Montreal Expos on the franchise’s first MLB game Grant had a no-decision as he was removed in the second inning.
April 8, 1975, future Hall of Famer Frank Robinson makes his debut as major league baseball’s first black manager. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a crowd of 56,204. As the player-manager of the Cleveland Indians, Frank Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat, helping Cleveland to a 5 – 3 victory over the New York Yankees. For Robinson, it is his eighth Opening Day home run, setting a major league record which will later be tied by Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn.
April 8, 1986 -- Will Clark homers in his first major league at-bat, facing future Hall of Fame right-hander Nolan Ryan. The 22 year-old Giants rookie first baseman's first inning-solo round-tripper contributes to the team's Opening Day 8-3 victory at the Astrodome.
Quote of the day:
"I don't want them to forget (Babe) Ruth, I just want them to remember me!" Hank Aaron
MILESTONES
Birthday Boys
Catfish Hunter, Charlie Maxwell, Gary Carter, John Hiller, Jose Herrera, Kirby Higbe and Turk Farrell.
Debuts
A few notable debuts, Pete Rose, Lyman Bostock, and Jeff Bagwell
Final Games
Passings
Eddie Miksis, Ford Frick, George Moriarty and Jim Umbricht
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Trivia Answer:
From 1973 to 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers played a majority of their games with a starting infield consisting of four players: Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second, Ron Cey at third, and Bill Russell at shortstop. Beginning on June 23, 1973, and lasting until Game 6 of the 1981 World Series, the quartet set a record in Major League Baseball for the length of time the same four players were designated as starters at those positions—eight-and-a-half years.
