Significant 44th anniversaries are coming up for Atlanta Braves #44
The run-up to one of the most significant milestones in baseball history is reaching a cool anniversary number – the same number as the man who did the deed.
It was the next-to-last day of the 1973 baseball season for the Atlanta Braves… Saturday, September 29th to be precise… and next Friday will mark the 44th anniversary of that date.
During that year, an unremarkable Braves team finished with a 76-85 record as they dropped the season’s final contest on Sunday to the Houston Astros.
However, there was unfinished business – an event on Saturday that got the buzz going.
It wasn’t Carl Morton‘s 6 hit, complete game shutout of the Astros – impressive as that was. No – this event happened in the 5th inning during a 5-run Braves outburst at Fulton County Stadium.
Hank Aaron was 39 years old that year…and still finished the season hitting .301 with 40 home runs and 96 RBI. He was an All-Star… for the 19th and last time; all in consecutive years. He later got MVP votes… which all happened for 19th consecutive seasons.
Aaron was still the Hammer.
If a modern day OPS of .900 impresses you – 25 players today have that mark – then that’s good.
Maybe 1.000 OPS gets your attention. 6 are at that level today.
This 39-year-old posted a 1.045 in 1973. Yes – at 39 years old. As of this moment, that would lead all of 2017 major league baseball.
Turns out it would have led MLB in 1973, too… except that Aaron had missed 40+ games and was short of PA’s to qualify.
There it goes
Hank Aaron was batting cleanup for the Braves… of course. This day, Atlanta already had an early 2-0 lead, thanks to a homer from Darrell Evans (his 41st).
In that 5th inning, Astros starter Jerry Reuss got pitcher Morton out quickly, but then ran into big trouble. Marty Perez doubled, but an error allowed him to continue advancing all the way around to score.
Mike Lum followed up with a single and so did Evans. 1st and 2nd… one out.
Aaron to the plate.
Aaron would go 3-3 on the day with a walk. In the season finale, he was 3 for 4… raising his average ten points on those final 7 ABs to push it over .300.
But in the 5th, Reuss hung a curve.
It was described as a “towering” shot to left field… “more than 400 feet”, and increased the Braves advantage to 6-0. The final score was 7-0 after Dusty Baker (yeah, that guy) went back-to-back with Aaron in the next AB.
This was career home run number 713. One short of the magical, unreachable 714 milestone of Babe Ruth. Ruth, for his part, reached 714 as a Brave on a remarkable 3-homer day in 1935 as a .206 hitter who had recently turned 40.
Reuss was quoted as saying ‘”This is kind of embarrassing… don’t forget, there were 700 other guys who he hit, too.”
Aaron’s family was already present for these games – witnessing this history unfolding before them as they sat in the Braves’ VIP box adjacent to the dugout.
After the game, Aaron admitted to reporters that yes – the pressure of reaching 714 and beyond was getting to him… just the idea that he’s coming to the plate and so many people want him to hit the ball out of the park.
The fans – 17,836 of them – were probably anxiously hoping for #713 in front of them that day. But that was nothing as 40,517 showed up to see the season-ender on Sunday evening.
The countdown had reached “1”, and next week marks the 44th year since this event… which will lead us to next April and the 44th anniversaries of 714 and 715 coming in 2018.
The 713 ball was sold in 2016 – I don’t know how much it brought – but you can see it here. Aaron could have had it, but gave the ball away to Braves’ exec Dick Cecil later that day. It’s just unfortunate that the Hall of Fame doesn’t have this ball.
As you can see in our cover photo, at least the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame has the #715 ball – and the bat that hit it. Happy anniversary, Hammer.
Number 44 will turn 84 next February. We hope he’s still with us to celebrate… and for many more years after that.