Hank Aaron
MLB legendary homerun king Hank Aaron died on the 23rd at the age of 86. His cause of death, who was actively engaged in publicly receiving a vaccine to encourage African Americans to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) on the 5th, is still unknown.
Aaron’s 755 home runs until his retirement in 1976 exceeded that of American hero Babe Ruth (714). The more he hit the home run, the more he faced persecution and discrimination. Because Aaron was black.
Born in 1934 in a poor family in Mobile, Alabama, Aaron was a boy who played baseball with a stick and cap. He signed for the Boston Braves in 1952 after joining the Nigro League minor league club and made his debut in the MLB in 1954 when he was 20 years old, wearing a Milwaukee uniform. In 1956, he became the National League (NL) batting champion, 1957 Best Player (MVP), and 1957 World Series Champion.
Aaron opened his eyes to the black human rights movement in 1966 when the Braves moved back to Atlanta. At the time, Atlanta was the centerpiece of the human rights movement in which Martin Luther King and others worked. Aaron said in a later interview, “Honestly, I was afraid to go to a big city like Atlanta. I knew there were people like King and Andy Young there, so I thought about what I could do.” It was a word that felt the fear of black people at the time and the desire for a new world.
Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves scored 3,000 hits in his career against the Cincinnati Reds on May 17, 1970.
For the first time in MLB history, Aaron, who hits 500 homers and 3000 hits together, was threatened by racists as he approached Ruth’s home run record. As he approached Ruth’s home run record by one car, Erran was flooded with letters saying “Retire or die.” According to the Federal Post Office, Aaron received nearly 1 million letters.
On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run. After hitting the most home runs in MLB history, he turned diamonds without expressing joy. At this time, two white men broke into the ground and rushed to Aaron. They were concerned about terrorism, but fortunately, they congratulated the record.
Aaron played two more seasons and retired. His career RBIs (2297) are still number one in MLB history. His 755 homers were broken by Barry Bonds (762) in 2007. However, as it became known that Bonds was taking banned drugs, many fans still believe that the real home run king is Aaron.
Hank Erran, the king of homeruns visiting the Samsung team in Korea, is giving a batting instruction to a Samsung professional baseball player. Yonhap News provided
Aaron, who visited Korea in 1982, said, “There is no special secret to becoming a home run king other than training.” He worked all his life, and despite being racist, he lived for the human rights of others. American boxing legend Muhammad Ali said, “The only person I respect than myself is Aaron.”
When the news of his death was announced, a wave of tribute continued. US President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter, “Aran wasn’t just chasing records. He showed us that breaking the wall of prejudice helps us develop as a nation. Aaron was an American hero.” “You were a pioneer,” said Bones. “African American players can make you a role model and dream.”
Reporter Kim Shik