OnlyBucs

When I was a kid, the Braves (and the Reds) would sometimes join the Pirates in a No Pitchers Today slugfest. This was my favorite ever:



https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 8010.shtml



Aaron went 3 for 5, with 2 homers.

My second and last game at Forbes Field was a game against the Braves. I did yardwork to pay for my own ticket, my uncle took me to the game, my dad was in Viet Nam.



I don't recall if it was a batting helmet give away, or if I bought the batting helmet. Couldn't wait to get home and wear it in a pickup game.



We were along the first base line, it was the first time I was ever near the field at a game. My other game was up in the right field stands. My first MLB game was at Dodger Stadium, and it was in the upper deck in right field too.



Anyhow, we got to watch batting practice, the Braves were up, Aaron came up. Hit a screaming line drive right at me and my uncle. He grabbed the helmet right off my head as he was yelling, "watch out Robert!" and he tried to catch the ball with the batting helmet. Cracked it like an eggshell!



I didn't get the ball, but the guy who did bought me a new batting helmet.



Pirates lost 2-0. I remember the game being kind of anti-climatic. I looked at the box score and I was correct. Niekro threw a complete game 2 hit shutout. Bob Veale went 8 giving up 2 runs.



Aaron went 4-4 and drove in both runs. Tommie Aaron that is. Clemente, Stargell, Mazeroski, and Henry Aaron, all to be in the HOF, went a combined 0-14. If you want to add Phil Niekro's AB's, make it 0-17 for the legends.



I still remember sitting glued to the television and seeing history made. Two Henry Aaron memories I'll never forget.

5E6D7170737B4D706B776C6B7A76711F0 wrote: When I was a kid, the Braves (and the Reds) would sometimes join the Pirates in a No Pitchers Today slugfest. This was my favorite ever:



https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 8010.shtml



Aaron went 3 for 5, with 2 homers.


I still remember that game, and it's still talked about a lot during MLB broadcasts by some of the old timers. I watched it on local television, I'm thinking KDKA?

I saw Hank Aaron live once. I don't remember the year. I was a kid but my impression is that he'd already set the home run record. So I'm going to guess 75? It was a day game so it was probably a Sunday. He didn't start as I recall but came up as a pinch hitter late in the game.



MASSIVE standing ovation. He flew out to to left field. Stargell was out there. One of my favorite TRS memories.

I read once that Aaron grew up so poor that he used sticks and bottle caps as a bat and ball .

The only player with 700 HRs and 3000 hits. That blows me away.

The PGA in adding their admiration and condolence on The Hammer' s passing shared a quote: "It took me 17 years to get to 3000 hits. It took one afternoon in golf".

6335233738223239342311363C30383D7F32510 wrote: The only player with 700 HRs and 3000 hits.  That blows me away.


Part of that statistic is that if you subtract his 755 career home runs, he would still have over 3,000 hits. That is amazing!

476166737A7661777F140 wrote: The PGA in adding their admiration and condolence on The Hammer' s passing shared a quote: "It took me 17 years to get to 3000 hits. It took one afternoon in golf".


For a minute, I thought they were referring to Shedman ;D ;D

674C5B542D0 wrote: The only player with 700 HRs and 3000 hits.  That blows me away.


Part of that statistic is that if you subtract his 755 career home runs, he would still have over 3,000 hits. That is amazing!


It's safe to say that his entire body of work, his career, was among the top three to five in history. But I wonder, if we were to poll baseball historians, experts, and fans, and ask them to name the three outfielders who they would place on their all-time team, how many would omit Aaron? Where would he rank among all outfielders?