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Hank Aaron (pictured), a home run king representing the American professional baseball major league, died on the 22nd (local time). Age 86.
On the 23rd, the Atlanta Braves club, where Aaron had been, said, “Eran has entered peacefully.” The exact cause of death is unknown.
Aaron is a legendary hitter who rewrote the history of the major leagues with a home run during his active career. In 2007, San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds broke his 755 home run record, but he still maintains his most RBI and long hits.
Born in 1934 in a poor black family in Mobile, Alabama, as one of eight siblings, Aaron couldn’t buy baseball equipment, so he practiced batting alone with sticks and caps, raising his dream of becoming a baseball player. Aaron, who made his debut in the major leagues in 1954 at the age of 20, won the National League (NL) hitting title in 1956 and the Best Player (MVP) title in 1957.
Aaron was also faced with intense racist insults and intimidation as he approached the record of 714 homers by white idol Babe Ruth. As he was about to start the regular season in 1974 with one less than Ruth’s career home run record, he was flooded with threatening letters such as “Retire or die.” According to the Federal Post Office, Aaron received nearly 1 million letters. American boxing legend Muhammad Ali praised him as “the only person I admire more than myself,” for his enduring racism and becoming the best hitter of all time. Aaron, who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975, played two more seasons, ending a 23-year major league career. Aaron, who was dedicated to the Hall of Fame in 1982 after retirement, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.
Aaron visited Korea twice in 1982 as Vice President of Atlanta Braves. Aaron said at a press conference in Korea that “I was able to hit 755 homers because I was lucky enough to be a player for 23 years, rather than a special talent.”
There was a wave of mourning throughout the United States. US President Joe Biden said on Twitter on the 23rd, “When Aaron played the base, he didn’t just follow (baseball) records. Aaron taught us that breaking the wall of prejudice helps us develop as a nation. “Eran was an American hero.”
/ Reporter Joonho Yang [email protected]
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