Hank Aaron throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Brewers and the White Sox.
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Hank Aaron throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Brewers and the White Sox. |
Aaron was honored before the Milwaukee Brewers' game with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
The former Milwaukee Braves and Brewers slugger said the home run he hit Sept. 30, 1957, to give the Braves their first National League pennant ranks ahead of his 715th on April 8, 1974, which broke Babe Ruth's home run record.
"The greatest thrill I ever had, bar none, was the year we clinched the pennant here in 1957 when I hit the home run off Billy Muffett. That, to me, was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me as a ballplayer," Aaron said.
His 11th-inning homer gave the Braves a 7-5 victory, and they went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Aaron, who finished his career with the Brewers in 1976, returned on the 23rd anniversary of his final home run July 20, 1976, which he hit at County Stadium off California's Dick Drago.
In the pregame ceremony, commissioner Bud Selig called Aaron "the greatest player of his generation" and told him: "You brought a lot of glory and happiness to Milwaukee."
When Selig was president of the Brewers, he signed Aaron to return to Milwaukee.
To honor Aaron's last home run, the seat where the ball landed -- Section 28, Row 3, Seat 13 -- will become part of an exhibit about him when construction on the Brewers' new home, Miller Park, is finished.
"It's certainly a sad moment to know this stadium won't be here too much longer," Aaron said. "It's touching. After all, this ballpark and I have a love affair. And of course I've always had a love affair with Milwaukee and the people of Wisconsin. I want to thank all the people of Wisconsin because this is where it all got started."
His pennant-winning home run and his final homer were only two of 195 he hit in Milwaukee County Stadium. Although almost all were with the Braves (he had only 22 for the Brewers), Aaron said he was grateful that Selig brought him back to Milwaukee.
"It was a tremendous thrill to me to come back here and finish my career," Aaron said. "When I met Bud Selig I said, 'You're not going to get the same player that left Milwaukee 15 or 16 years ago.' I said, 'I have a slower bat. I don't hit as many home runs as I used to.' He said, 'I don't care. I want you to come back.'"
With the death this year of Joe DiMaggio, Aaron was asked if he considered himself the greatest living ballplayer. The question mystified him.
"I really don't know what the criteria is to be the greatest living ballplayer," he said. But Aaron added, "If they talk about me, well, my credentials speak for themselves."
Aaron said he won't mind if someone tops his record 755 home runs.
"Records are made to be broken. If anybody in baseball has a chance, it's Ken Griffey Jr., because of his age [29] and he's already halfway home," Aaron said.
"If he stays healthy and keeps focused on what he has to do, he has an
excellent chance."