ATLANTA — Legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and future President Jimmy Carter had been among the many many dignitaries who eagerly arrived at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on April 8, 1974. Vin Scully and an unknown up-and-comer named Craig Sager had been among the many numerous media members who had been there the night time Hank Aaron unseated Babe Ruth to turn into baseball’s House Run King.
“It appeared like the one individuals who weren’t there have been the President of america and the Commissioner of Baseball,” Aaron wrote in his autobiography, If I Had a Hammer. “Nixon had a fairly good excuse. Congress was on his again to provide the Watergate tapes.”
A feud between the Braves and then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn simmered throughout that first week of the 1974 season. Aaron tied Ruth’s document when he hit his 714th residence run on Opening Day in Cincinnati. Kuhn insisted Aaron play within the closing two video games of that sequence in opposition to the Reds. Atlanta proprietor Invoice Bartholomay and supervisor Eddie Mathews had been decided to provide Aaron an opportunity to interrupt the document in Atlanta.
Aaron ended up taking part in seven innings of the sequence finale in Cincinnati, however he returned to Atlanta with the chance to provide the hometown followers an opportunity to witness what stays one of many best moments in sports activities historical past.
It didn’t take lengthy for Aaron to maintain enterprise. After strolling in his first plate look of Atlanta’s residence opener, he got here to the plate within the fourth inning and despatched Al Downing’s pitch over the left-center-field fence at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium.
Dusty Baker, Ralph Garr, Tom Home and a few of Aaron’s different 1974 teammates will probably be at Truist Park on Monday night time, when the Braves rejoice the fiftieth anniversary of Aaron hitting this historic 715th residence run. Home caught the ball in Atlanta’s bullpen after which rushed towards residence plate the place he proudly handed it to Aaron.
“The primary factor we needed to do was acquire every part after the sport,” longtime Braves clubhouse supervisor and touring secretary Invoice Acree stated. “Get the ball. Get the bat. Get this and get that.”
Acree joined the Braves’ floor crew workers when the membership moved to Atlanta in 1966. He was 18 years outdated when he grew to become the visiting clubhouse supervisor in ’68. 5 years later, he was dealing with each clubhouses and serving as Atlanta’s tools supervisor. However at Mathews’ request in ’74, Acree vacated his duties within the guests’ clubhouse and centered all his consideration on the house clubhouse.
Acree collected an abundance of nice recollections throughout his 50 seasons with the Braves. He actually left his mark in some ways. In actual fact, should you put a black gentle on the ball Aaron hit for his 715th homer, you can find Acree’s signature.
As soon as Aaron reached 700 homers in the course of the 1973 season, MLB started to mark the balls. Acree would use invisible ink to place a quantity and his signature on not less than 12 balls earlier than every sport. These particular balls could be put in play solely when Aaron was on the plate.
The ball, marked 12-12-2-2, that Aaron hit to cross The Babe is positioned within the Hank Aaron Terrace at Truist Park.
“It wasn’t the Braves’ ball, it wasn’t the Corridor of Fame’s ball, it was Hank’s ball,” Acree stated. “It was insured by Lloyd’s of London and Hank toured with it for a few years. [People in Japan] had been enamored with Hank. I don’t know what number of ungodly {dollars} they spent to carry him over there to tour with the ball for a few years.”
Nice recollections stay for Acree and the numerous people who celebrated such an iconic second 50 years in the past.
“It was particular and it nonetheless is,” Acree stated.
