For over 30 years, Hank Aaron’s career mark of 755 home runs led all of Major League Baseball.
While the record was eventually surpassed in 2007 by Barry Bonds, who would finish his career with 762 homers, Aaron’s impact on the game as a player and later an ambassador left a permanent mark.
On Monday, 50 years to the day after Aaron passed Babe Ruth by hitting his 715th career home run, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that the museum would be unveiling a new statue of Aaron this spring.
Hall chair Jane Forbes Clark issued a statement, via ESPN, saying, “The legacy of Hank Aaron has always been about so much more than just his incredible baseball achievements. His philanthropic vision, his support of youth empowerment efforts and his pioneering work as an executive have opened the doors of opportunity for millions throughout the United States and around the world. We are extremely privileged to care for and preserve his entire personal collection in Cooperstown, and this statue will stand forever as a tribute to an American hero.”
The statue will be unveiled on May 23 and will sit in the first floor of the museum.
While the home run record was passed, Aaron remains MLB’s all-time RBI leader, driving in 2,297 runs in his 23-year career, a record likely to withstand the test of time as no active MLB players are even halfway to that number at the moment.
Aaron died in January 2021 at the age of 86.
[ESPN]
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