April 8
Hank Aaron Breaks Babe Ruth's Home Run Record
On a spring evening in Atlanta, Hank Aaron connected on a fastball from Al Downing to eclipse Babe Ruth’s 39-year-old career home run record and claim a place among baseball’s immortals.
Summary
In the mid-twentieth century, Major League Baseball stood as a national pastime grappling with its history of racial segregation while celebrating individual excellence. Hank Aaron, an African American outfielder for the Atlanta Braves who had endured death threats and pressure during his pursuit of the record, entered the 1974 season one home run shy of Babe Ruth's 714. On April 8, 1974, before a sellout crowd at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Aaron connected on a fourth-inning pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, sending his 715th career home run over the left-field fence. The feat surpassed Ruth's long-standing mark and was celebrated amid national attention, with Aaron finishing his career with 755 homers.
Context
Major League Baseball entered the 1970s as a sport still reckoning with its long history of racial exclusion. Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier in 1947, yet African American players continued to face hostility and extra scrutiny decades later. Hank Aaron, who debuted with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 and moved with the franchise to Atlanta in 1966, had compiled a steady record of excellence marked by consistency rather than flash. By the end of the 1973 season he stood at 713 home runs, one short of the mark Ruth had set in 1935 and held ever since.
What Happened
The Braves opened the 1974 season on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. Aaron sat out the second game of the series but returned on April 7 and went hitless, leaving him tied with Ruth after an Opening Day homer off Jack Billingham. On April 8 the team hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers before a sellout crowd of 53,775 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Aaron walked in the second inning and scored on a Dusty Baker double. The Dodgers took a 3-1 lead in the third before Atlanta answered in the fourth. Darrell Evans reached on an error, bringing Aaron to the plate with a 1-0 count against left-hander Al Downing. Aaron drove the next pitch over the left-center-field wall for his 715th career home run.
Aftermath
The Braves added two more runs in the inning and held on for a 7-4 victory. Aaron was removed in the eighth inning for a defensive replacement. The moment received national television coverage and immediate celebration inside the stadium, though Aaron later described the preceding months of death threats and media pressure as deeply unsettling. He remained in the lineup for the rest of the season and added 40 more home runs over the next three years, finishing his career with 755.
Legacy
Aaron’s achievement stood as both a statistical milestone and a cultural marker of integration’s uneven progress in American institutions. His 755 home runs and all-time records for runs batted in and total bases cemented his reputation as one of the game’s greatest hitters. The record itself endured until 2007, while Aaron’s quiet dignity under intense scrutiny continues to serve as a reference point for discussions of race, pressure, and excellence in professional sports.
Why It Matters
Aaron's achievement transcended sports by symbolizing progress in racial integration within American institutions and inspiring future generations of athletes, while cementing his place in baseball history as one of its greatest hitters and highlighting the cultural significance of the home run record.
Related Questions
How many home runs did Hank Aaron finish his career with?
Aaron retired with 755 career home runs after adding 40 more following the record-breaking blast.
Who was the pitcher who surrendered Hank Aaron’s 715th home run?
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Al Downing threw the pitch that Aaron drove over the left-center-field wall.
Where and against which team did Aaron break the record?
The home run came at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in the Braves’ first home game of 1974 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What was the final score of the April 8, 1974 game?
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4.
How long had Babe Ruth’s record stood before Aaron broke it?
Ruth set the mark of 714 in 1935; it remained unbroken for 39 years.
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America 250 Atlas: Hank Aaron Breaks Babe Ruth's Home Run Record is part of U.S. presidential, constitutional, or national civic history.
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Sources
- Henry Aaron hits home run No. 715, National Baseball Hall of Fame. Accessed 2026-07-09.