#breaking hank aaron's record

[feddy-34]

home run number 756, august 7, 2007

[fredthomasiii-blog]

This day in history - April 8th

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Henry “The Hammer” Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s homerun record achieving his 715th blast. He belted the homerun off of “Gentleman” Al Downing and in addition to his feat it was the call by Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully which makes the record monumental. Eventually he would wind up with 755 homeruns.

[arinzechukwuture]

ON THIS DAY - April 08, 1974

Henry "Hank" Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's major league record with 715 home runs

[slackville]

Sandy Koufax had trouble getting the great Roberto Clemente out.

Someone once asked Sandy how to get Clemente out and he quipped: “I have no idea; roll the ball to the plate?”

But even great hitters struggled against the man known as The Left Hand of God.

What made Sandy Koufax so hard to hit?

Pete Rose answered this question during an interview in which he graphically described Koufax’s curve ball and how precipitously it dropped. Rose found a melon in a basket of fruit and threw it straight down on the floor, hard. “How the hell you gonna hit that curve ball?” Rose asked the interviewer.

And it wasn’t just Rose.

"Hitting against him is like eating soup with a fork," Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell said.

"It drops like a chair whose legs collapse," Koufax’s catcher John Roseboro said.

"Sandy would strike me out two or three times a game. And I knew every pitch he was going to throw: fastball, breaking ball or whatever. Actually, he would let you look at it. And you still couldn't hit it!" — Willie Mays on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series

When Yogi Berra watched Koufax pitch during the 1963 World Series after having gone 25–5 in the regular season, Berra said, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five." Fortunately, Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills solved the mystery when he responded, “He didn't lose 5 games, we did.”

“He was truly magnificent.” — Hammerin’ Hank Aaron

In an interview, Bud Selig said the only pitcher he ever heard Hank Aaron complain about verbally was Sandy Koufax. After Koufax had out-dueled the great Warren Spahn, beating the Braves 2–1, on the departing plane trip an unhappy Aaron told Selig, “Boy, I’m glad I don’t have to face him again!” And Aaron was one of the few batters to have any success against Koufax. When asked in interviews to name the most dominant pitchers he faced, Aaron would immediately name Bob Gibson and Koufax, followed by Don Drysdale and Tom Seaver. Amusingly, Aaron said, “If you didn’t hit Drsydale, he was going to hit you!” The great home run hitter and baseball ambassador had a great sense of humor as well.

Superior hitters like Mays, Aaron, Rose, Stargell and Berra found Koufax baffling, so just imagine what it must have been like for ordinary hitters to face him.

Paul Reidl confirmed what great hitters have said about Koufax’s curve and its precipitous break: “I watched him pitch several times from behind home plate at old Forbes Field. His curveball, quite literally, fell off a table. Never seen anything like it. Batters would just flail at it.”

Pete Rose said Koufax had a “great fastball” and pointed out that he struck out over 1,000 batters in his (Rose’s) first three seasons in the NL. That’s averaging 333 strikeouts per year, back when it had never been done before. In fact, Koufax had set the NL record with 269 strikeouts in 1961, breaking a 58-year-old record set by the great Christy Mathewson. It’s easy to forget that, before Koufax, no NL pitcher had really challenged 300 strikeouts in a season. But Koufax would go on to destroy his just-set strikeout record with 306 in 1963, when he became the first unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award back when it was for both leagues, then an otherworldly 382 in 1965 when he won his second of three Cy Youngs.

“You pitch outside, you throw inside,” he liked to say" - Jane Leavy, Sandy Koufax biographer

“Show me a guy who can’t pitch inside, and I’ll show you a loser.” - Sandy Koufax

“Pitching is the art of instilling fear.” - Sandy Koufax

Unlike his partner in pitching crimes, Don Drysdale, the great Sandy Koufax didn’t have to go headhunting to instill fear. He did it with a rip-roaring four-seam fastball and a curve that broke down like it had a gravity accelerator. Those were his primary pitches, and Koufax also threw a forkball and change-up to keep batters off balance and confused about what was coming next. As if they weren’t in enough trouble already!

Ironically, Koufax became the strikeout king by abandoning his fastest pitch for a somewhat slower fastball he could control better. Here’s how it happened …

The turning point of Koufax’s career came in 1961 when catcher Norm Sherry told him to slow things down and concentrate on throwing strikes. "Sandy, you could solve your control problem if you'd just try to throw the ball easier," Sherry said. "Just get it over the plate. You've still got enough swift on it to get the hitters out." Koufax took the advice and the rest is baseball history. But the mind boggles at what he might have done with better control of his fastest fast ball.

Rose told the interviewer that he hit .175 against Koufax, and could only hope to hit his weight (202 pounds) but couldn’t even do that. This is the all-time hit king, who hit .307 against Bob Gibson, .340 against Juan Marichal, .531 against Warren Spahn, and “wore out” Don Sutton, Bob Welch and other top pitchers of his era. But the best Rose could hope for was to hit his weight against Koufax, and he couldn’t even manage that.

I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.

#MLB #Baseball

[dinosaurwithablog]

Happy anniversary to Hank Aaron!! On this day, in Atlanta, in 1974, hall of famer, Hank Aaron, hit his record breaking 715th home run off of Dodgers pitcher, Al Downing. He broke Babe Ruth's record with that home run and went on to hit a total of 751 home runs in his career. Way to go, Hank!!!! He's a legend for a reason. He played with heart. He holds many records and has inspired many people to play baseball and give it everything they can. I love you, Hammering Hank!!! I miss watching you play. You were the personification of what baseball means to me and what baseball should be. Thank you for all of it!!! 😍💜💜💜⚾️

[citizenscreen]

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record. #OnThisDay #MLB #Baseball

[kylejsugarman]

thinking about the abandoned breaking bad season 1 finale where jesse would have died had vince not been bewitched by aaron paul heart and soul in the context of the au......it would of course be walt's fault, because walt is not only unsympathetic to jesse as a person but disbelieving of his disability (and stays that way until he's forced to accept it in "four days out"). how easy would it be for that season 1 finale to end in jesse's death. the driving force for that episode is walt telling jesse to do things, getting him to do things, putting their safety in jeopardy to do things. offering twice the amount of meth to tuco despite having none of it made yet, forcing jesse to collect the supplies and break into the warehouse to steal the methylamine with him. this episode is walt indulging in how Good and Superior and Smart he's feeling right now by taking risks to satisfy himself (having sex with skyler in the parking lot, asking tuco for more money, smoking with hank): it's so easy to imagine one of these risks that walt is taking for his own ego leading to jesse's death. walt is so ready to ride the high of delivering quality product to tuco and getting his money that he marathons their cook in jesse's basement, not letting jesse step away to take his meds because "they need to get this done". they show up to their meet-up location with tuco, walt on cloud nine from how well he's done and how much money they're about to make, and jesse starts seizing, hitting his head hard on the way down. walt panics and starts to reach for his phone to call 911, only for tuco to pull his gun on him ("u get the feds out here and ur DEAD.") and force walt to hand over all the product and wait for his guys to clear out before calling Anyone. once the cars have driven away, walt frantically calls 911 and gives the location because there's a puddle of blood crowning jesse's head and aside from a few fasciculations, he's not moving. as walt hangs up though, he realizes that he can't be here when the authorities arrive. it would be horrifically easy to link him to the drug trade if he's just standing here with a bag of cash and an unconscious kid with a criminal record. walt grabs the bag, spares one last remorseful glance at jesse (he's fine, the kid survived getting his shit kicked in by tuco's crew, he's going to be fine), and makes himself scarce before the sirens start blaring. he'll see on the news later that evening that a body was recovered. 24-year-old jesse bruce pinkman. walt didnt even know the kid's middle name. he took the risks, he played his cards right, and now he has the money. walt won. and jesse paid the price.

[world-cinema-research]

The Conversation (1974)

By Cris Nyne

Harry Caul is involved in espionage. The couple that he is listening to are walking aimlessly in circles through a park while being followed by a mime. There are eerie, alien-like electronic noises that are woven into their dialogue from the wiretap. Why are they being followed? What or who are they discussing? Harry also seems to be in the dark about his subjects, but he is determined to find the answers to these questions. This is the review of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 murder mystery The Conversation.

The Conversation takes place in San Francisco. Coppola released the film in the same year as one of his more well-known films, The Godfather part II. It was quite a prolific year. Spy for hire Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman, is regarded as a master of his craft by those in the business. He is well known from New York to California for his exploits. He uses new age technology to tap into what was thought to be private conversations, exposing secrets and returning them to the rich beneficiary who paid for his services. Harry is a loner and is cautious about anyone who tries to get too close. He is in the business of invading people’s privacy but is highly skeptical and paranoid when anyone tries to pry into his personal life. Harry is trying to decipher the broken dialogue between a man and a woman that are planning something, and he is trying to figure what that something is. He is supposed to return the tapes to his current employer, but not before he finds out more for himself.

“One of the lessons implicit in "The Conversation" is that private enterprise, as always, leads the way. Government breakthroughs, like break-ins, are usually a mistake. The film is haunting because its suggestion that technology has gotten out of hand, though not exactly new, is so convincingly and fastidiously detailed.” -Vincent Canby for The New York Times, April 21, 1974

Original movie poster for The Conversation.

The Conversation was well received by critics and audiences alike. The budget for the film was an estimated $1.6 million, and during its release year pulled in just shy of $4.7 million, internationally. Coppola tapped his friend and previous collaborator, Walter Murch, to be sound editor for the film. Murch would go on to win two BAFTA awards for Best Soundtrack and Best Film Editing (along with Richard Chew). Hackman was BAFTA nominated for best actor (lost to Jack Nicholson for The Last Detail/Chinatown). Coppola was BAFTA nominated for Best Director (lost to Roman Polanski for Chinatown.) Coppola was also nominated for Best Picture for the 1975 Oscars. He did win the Oscar, but for his other film from 1974, The Godfather part II. The Conversation also won Cannes top prize in 1974, the Palme d’Or. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 97%.

For historical context, 1974 was a massive year in American history. Richard Nixon resigned due to his involvement in the Watergate scandal coverup. I find this contemporaneous timing as uncanny, considering The Conversation and Watergate both were based on espionage and wiretapping. Hank Aaron would also go on to smash Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs in 1974, a record once thought of as impossible to beat. I can only imagine the pressure and the threats Mr. Aaron was under during this time. 1974 is still relevant in 2024.

“Coppola, who wrote and directed, considers this film his most personal project. He was working two years after the Watergate break-in, amid the ruins of the Vietnam effort, telling the story of a man who places too much reliance on high technology and has nightmares about his personal responsibility.” -Roger Ebert, February 4, 2001

San Francisco in the mid-seventies was gritty and raw. The Conversation encapsulates this era with the same visual intensity. No feelings are reserved and there is very direct dialogue between Hackman and his co-stars. Because the film is steeped in the realms of secrecy and spying, we have some very interesting aerial shots as if someone is watching from above. At one point, we have a car chase between Harry Caul and some loose associates through the streets of San Francisco as they tail a sports car that just cut them off. Hackman does a brilliant job of portraying a man under duress and some of the cinematography gets up close and personal in his apartment and a hotel room where he is spying on the couple that he is being paid to follow. Hackman also has a momentary break down where he is squirming around his hotel room, gripping his head in anxiety and twisting under the blankets as he becomes overwhelmed by the possibilities of what his subjects are doing next door. Coppola goes out of his way at times to prove a point.

There was paranoia and anxiety throughout the film. The ending could leave the viewer with a feeling of unease as we steamroll towards a future of technological advances and lack of privacy. These were a couple of elements that can incorporate some notions of The Conversation being an unconventional movie. Otherwise, The Conversation has most of the ingredients to a mainstream Hollywood film. The actors were all white and the women were portrayed as mere objects to Hackman’s occasional need to fill sexual desires. Francis Ford Coppola released The Godfather in 1972 and had become an international name-brand director. The film was released under Paramount and had an A-list of established and up-and-coming stars Like Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, and Teri Garr.

If The Conversation fell unnoticed through the cracks created by Coppola’s other 70’s releases of The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, I highly suggest you check out his most personal film of them all.

[womanwithahotdogstand]

Are you watching the USA v Canada hockey game 👀

I’m watching the Braves/Mets game. Today is the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home-run record, they honored him before the game and everything and it made me emotional.

[whenweallvote]

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run in front of a crowd of 53,775 people — breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 714 homers.

Today we remember his 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 achievement, and reflect on the racism and threats of violence he endured as he chased one of baseball’s most distinguished records.

[lboogie1906]

Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 - January 22, 2021 ) nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank,” was a retired MLB right fielder who served as the SVP of the Atlanta Braves. He played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the NL and two seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (1954-76). He held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year (1955-73) and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him fifth on its “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list.

He was born in Mobile to Herbert Aaron Sr. and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron. He had seven siblings. Tommie Aaron, one of his brothers, went on to play Major League Baseball. By the time he retired, he and his brother held the record for most career home runs by a pair of siblings (768). They were the first siblings to appear in a League Championship Series as teammates.

He hit his 755th and final home run on July 20, 1976, at Milwaukee County Stadium off Dick Drago of the California Angels, which stood as the MLB career home run record until it was broken in 2007. Throughout his record-breaking 23-year career, he had a batting average of .305 with 163 hits a season, while hitting an average of just over 32 home runs a year and knocking home 99 runs batted in (RBIs) a year. He had 100+ RBIs in a season 15 times, including a record 13 in a row.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame for his time spent with the Milwaukee Braves.

He married Barbara Lucas (1953-71) and they had five children. He married Billye Suber Williams (1973-2021) and they had one child. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[moneeb0930]

See the young man in this picture? He was 18 years old when it was taken at the train station in Mobile, Alabama, in 1952.There is $1.50 in his pocket. In that bag by his foot are two changes of clothes. (And if his mama was anything like most other mamas in the South, probably some sandwiches and other snacks.)He was on his way to Indiana to take a job. He was going to play baseball for the Indy Clowns of the Negro Leagues. Apparently, he was pretty good at it. A couple of years later, he was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers. He played for the Brewers for 2 seasons, then moved across town to the Braves, and later followed them to Atlanta. Eventually, he was the last Negro League player to be on a major league roster.

He still hangs around the baseball world. At the moment, he''s the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves. Even though the team has changed stadiums (twice) since then, his retired number, 44, still hangs on the outfield wall of the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium near where he belted a homer to break Babe Ruth''s all-time record which he held for 33 years).

Remembering "Hammerin'' Hank" Aaron, who passed away on 22 January 2021.

[dillonwoods15]

Baseballs Greatest Legends

Post Four

When I think about baseball’s greatest legends, a few names immediately come to mind—Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Lou Gehrig, to name just a few. These players didn’t just excel at their craft; they elevated the game, and their impact is still felt today.

Image from https://i.etsystatic.com/16915717/r/il/dba219/5800706905/il_600x600.5800706905_6r98.jpg

Babe Ruth, for example, was a larger-than-life figure. He wasn’t just known for his powerful swings and home runs, but also for the personality he brought to the game. Ruth’s charm, confidence, and incredible talent captured the imagination of baseball fans around the world. His legend still looms large in American culture, as he was one of the first true sports icons.

Willie Mays was another player whose skill and grace on the field set him apart. Known for his incredible catches in center field, Mays represented everything that’s great about baseball—athleticism, determination, and the love of the game.

Image from https://www.collectorfocus.com/images/show/JBrules/willie-mays-collection-large/30553/1957-willie-mays-psa-7

Hank Aaron’s role in breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record made him a symbol of consistency and excellence. He not only conquered the baseball world with his bat, but he did so with dignity and strength during a time when racial tension was at its peak.

Image from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Hank_Aaron_1974.jpg

These legends represent more than just impressive stats. They embody what baseball is all about—striving for greatness, pushing the boundaries, and creating moments that will be remembered for generations.

[playdeepcf]

The American and National League finalists for the 2024 #HankAaronAward. It is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league. The award was introduced in 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. A panel of Hall of Famers will combine with a fan vote to determine the winners.

#MLB 🍂🍁⚾️🏆🍂🍁

[kevinpshanblog]

Willie Mays, known affectionately as the "Say Hey Kid," was a beacon of excellence in Major League Baseball, leaving us at the age of 93. His career was a tapestry of breathtaking moments, from his Rookie of the Year honors to his unforgettable over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series. Mays' legacy is not just in the records he set but in the barriers he helped break down, standing alongside other legends like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron.

His 660 home runs place him among the game's elite, yet it was his joyous spirit and love for the game that captured the hearts of fans. Mays' influence extended beyond the diamond, touching lives and inspiring generations to pursue their dreams with passion and determination.

As we bid farewell to Willie Mays, we do not just mourn a baseball giant; we celebrate a life that exemplified greatness, both on and off the field. His memory will forever be etched in the annals of sports history, and his spirit will continue to inspire. Willie Mays, the greatest all-around player in baseball history, will be deeply missed.

[dinosaurwithablog]

Happy anniversary to Hank Aaron!! On this day, in Atlanta, in 1974, hall of famer, Hank Aaron, hit his record breaking 715th home run off of Dodgers pitcher, Al Downing. He broke Babe Ruth's record with that home run and went on to hit a total of 751 home runs in his career. Way to go, Hank!!!! He's a legend for a reason. He played with heart. He holds many records and has inspired many people to play baseball and give it everything they can. I love you, Hammering Hank!!! I miss watching you play. You were the personification of what baseball means to me and what baseball should be. Thank you for all of it!!! 😍💜💜💜⚾️