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Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews played together with the Braves from 1954 through 1966. Their first 13 years as teammates came in Milwaukee while their final campaign together was in Atlanta.

As Braves mates the duo set a big league record for most home runs by two teammates. Their 863 dingers outpace the second in line by nearly 100. Yankee greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig are second on the list with 772 round-trippers.

Shown here is a pair of baseball cards more than 60 years old. The National League Runs home run leader card features Ernie Banks (41 homers), Hank Aaron (40), Mathews (39), and Ken Boyer (32) and is signed boldly by Mathews. The other card is Mathew’s All Star card from the same season. The 1960 campaign was one of Mathew’s finest as he complimented those 39 homers with a career-high 124 RBI.

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Sandy Koufax may have been a three-time Cy Young Award winner and an MVP, but he was no match for Henry Aaron. Aaron’s career numbers against Koufax show dominance. In 116 at-bats, Aaron hit .362 with a 1.077 OPS. He blasted 7 home runs, 3 triples, 6 doubles, with 16 runs batted in. Koufax walked Aaron 14 times and struck him out 12, showing the delicate balance between respect and frustration.

Koufax was never shy about the challenge Aaron presented. In his 1966 book Koufax, he recalled one particularly telling moment: “There were now men on first and second. The batter was Henry Aaron. I walked him on four straight balls, which was probably the smartest thing I did all year. There have been many times since when I wished I had been wild enough to walk Henry Aaron. I’m usually backing up third as I am wishing it.”

Despite Koufax’s dominance on the mound, Aaron seemed to have his number. Koufax’s words underscore how Aaron’s presence at the plate left even the best pitchers, like him, questioning their approach.

Shown here is a photo of Koufax after earning one of his 9 career saves. On May 24, 1964, 21-year old Joe Moeller got the start for the Dodgers and threw six scoreless innings against Jim Bunning and the Phillies. When manager Walt Alston removed Moeller, he called on Koufax for relief.

Sandy pitched three innings, allowing two hits and striking out one to earn the save. After the game Koufax shook the hand of young Moeller in the Dodger clubhouse. Both men signed this photo.

Moeller had better success against Aaron. Hammerin’ Hank went 8-for-27 with two doubles and one home run against the Dodger right-hander.

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The National League saw their 8-game All Star Game winning streak snapped in 1971. The following seasons the game was in Atlanta and the hometown fans were eager for a win. The Braves lone representative on the NL roster was Henry Aaron.

The team hosted two previous All Star games when the franchise was in Boston in 1936 and Milwaukee in 1955. This was the first Mid Summer Classic in Atlanta. The 53,107 fans in attendance were treated to a night to remember.

In the sixth inning with his team down 1-0, Aaron slammed a two-run homer to left off of that year’s Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry. The Atlanta faithful rose to their feet and gave Aaron a long and rousing standing ovation.

Aaron’s shot was the last All Star game blast by a player in his home stadium for 25 years. Aaron told reporters that it was, “one of the most dramatic” homers he ever hit. Of course he’d hit a more meaningful shot off of Al Downing two years later to break Babe Ruth‘s career mark.

The NL won the game 4-3 in 11 innings to win their 9th All Star game in 10 years. The victory also started a streak of 11 straight National League wins in the Mid Summer Classic.

In the collection is this letter sent by NL president Chub Feeney inviting Aaron to the 1972 All Star game in Atlanta.

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The star among stars, Henry Aaron was selected to a big league record 25 All Star teams. Sure there were four seasons in which there were two All Star teams, but his 21 seasons of All Star play are still the most in MLB history.

The 1973 game was played in four-month old Royals Stadium in Kansas City. It marked the 40th anniversary of the first All Star Game in 1933. The festivities included many of the surviving members from that first game including Hall of Famers Earl Averill, Joe Cronin, Charlie Gehringer, and Lefties Grove and Gomez.

Aaron’s National League club was in the midst of All Star domination, having won 10 of the last 11 contests. That superiority continued as the NL won every matchup through the 1983 season.

The home run champ did his part to help the Senior Circuit. In the top of the third inning, Aaron hit a sharp single off of Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven to left that plated Cincinnati’s Joe Morgan. The run put the NL ahead to stay and saddled Blyleven with the loss in his first All Star appearance. It was Aaron’s final RBI in All Star competition.

In the collection is this letter from NL president Chub Feeney inviting Aaron to the 1973 Mid Summer Classic.

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Henry Aaron finished among the top-10 home run hitters in his league an astounding 18 seasons. The final of those campaigns came in 1973 when he finished fourth, behind Willie Stargell, and teammates Davey Johnson and Darrell Evans.

The Atlanta trio each hit at least 40 home runs. It marked the first time in MLB history that three teammates reached the 40-homer plateau.

All three Braves sluggers represented the team in the All Star Game. Aaron was the lone Atlanta man in the starting lineup. Hitting in the cleanup position, he played a big part in the game’s outcome.

In the third inning, Hank hit a sharp single to left off of Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven that plated Cincinnati’s Joe Morgan. The run put the NL ahead to stay and saddled Blyleven with the loss in his first All Star appearance.

As was custom at the time, the team arranged the players’ travel to the Mid Summer Classic and paid their way. Three days after Aaron drove in his final run in All Star play, the Braves sent the letter shown here to NL Secretary-Treasurer Fred Fleig. The correspondence asks for travel reimbursement. Below the letter is a copy of the check from league to the Atlanta club for $453.81.

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Babe Ruth held baseball’s career home run record for more than a half-century. He captured the mark in 1921 with his 139th homer adding onto it with each of the next 575 bombs he hit. His 714th and final home run came on May 25th, 1935 as a member of the Boston Braves.

Hank Aaron broke Babe’s record on April 8, 1974 with a home run hit off of Dodger left-hander Al Downing.

Five men have retired in the top spot of baseball home run hitters – Harry Stovey, Roger Connor, Ruth, Aaron, and Barry Bonds. Ruth is the only one of the five to go to his grave as the all-time leader.

Shown here is a photo of Ruth signed in the final year of his life.

 

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Henry Aaron captivated America’s attention as he approached Babe Ruth’s record. The adulation, respect and encouragement he received was overwhelming. As an ugly reflection of America’s racism of the day, so was the hatred heaped upon him.

The slugger reacted with class and calm. A model of resilience, Aaron remained a shining example all that’s right in our country.

Shown here is a telegram from the day after Aaron passed the Bambino to become baseball’s career home run leader. Dated April 9, 1974, it reads, “Congratulations on number 715”. Aaron has signed the bottom right of the telegram.

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Giants announcer Jon Miller declared Vin Scully’s call of Henry Aaron’s 715th homer, “…the greatest call in the history of baseball broadcasting”.

Aaron came to bat against Dodger lefty Al Downing in the 4th inning on April 8, 1974. Tied with Babe Ruth for the most home runs in baseball history, Aaron swung at the second pitch.

Vin described the action.

“Fastball there’s a high drive into deep left-center field. Buckner goes back…to the fence…it is gone!” Vin then stayed silent for 36 seconds as Aaron circled the bases.

Scully’s Dodger broadcasting colleague Ross Porter described the scene. “…this was a typical Vin Scully moment. When he called the home run and the ball had cleared the fence, he got up, left his desk, left the microphone, walked to the back of the booth in Atlanta, poured himself a glass of water, sat down, and continued the play-by-play.”

After taking a sip of the water, Vin returned to his chair and summed up the moment’s historical impact.

“What a marvelous moment for baseball, what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol and it is great moment for all of us and particularly for Henry Aaron.”

Shown here is the most prestigious is the William J. Slocum Award awarded to Vin in 1995. Inaugurated in 1930, the honor was bestowed on no less than 50 members of the Hall of Fame. Recipients in the 1930s include the likes of Babe Ruth, John McGraw, Walter Johnson and Connie Mack.

Growing up in Washington Heights section of Manhattan, Scully was a Giants fan in his youth. His favorite player was Mel Ott who received the Award in 1942.

Legendary General Manager Branch Rickey received it for his work in developing the farm system with the Cardinals. Three years after he was so honored, Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to contract with the Dodgers to break the color barrier.

Some of the best players of the next three decades went to New York to receive the prestigious Slocum Award. The list includes Stan Musial (1962), Yogi Berra (1967), Al Kaline (1973), Willie Mays (1974), Carl Yastrzemski (1980), Johnny Bench (1984), Pete Rose (1986), Reggie Jackson (1988), Tom Seaver (1989), George Brett and Nolan Ryan (both in 1994).

That the greatest announcer in the history of sports received it is no surprise.

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Bob Gibson was one of the fiercest competitors in baseball history. His intensity on the mound struck fear into the hearts of opposing hitters. Dusty Baker always remembered Hank Aaron’s advice about Gibson, warning players not to provoke him.

Baker and Aaron were teammates for 8 seasons with the Atlanta Braves from 1968 through 1975.

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Hammerin’ Hank Aaron retired in 1976 as baseball’s all-time leader in runs batted in. Today his 2,297 RBIs still ranks first on the list. The stat itself was not always a part of the game.

Ernest Lanigan is largely forgotten in baseball history. A newspaperman, official scorer, and executive for the minor leagues and the Hall of Fame, Lanigan is largely responsible for getting the RBI accepted as an official statistic in 1920.

In this historic letter, Lanigan writes about his interest and role in the RBI. “I did the RBI’s in 1907 to 1919 inclusive, they were adopted by the majors in 1920 not on my say so and made their beginning into the Associated Press box score two years later when John McGraw said they were the best batting figures.”

Lanigan has been referred to as the Patron Saint of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and no wonder.

“I really don’t care much about baseball, or looking at ball games, major or minor,” Lanigan once said. “All my interest in baseball is in its statistics. I want to know something about every major league ball player, not only what he is hitting, but his full name with all middle names and initials, where they were born, and where they now live.”

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Hank Aaron had one of baseball’s greatest careers. His time in the game included an MLB-record 25 All Star selections. The Hammer also broke perhaps the most hallowed record in sports – Babe Ruth’s career home run mark.

After waiting the required 5 years upon retirement, Aaron was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame. As part of the induction class of ’82, he went in with fellow first-ballot man, 1966 Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson.

The pair was joined by Veterans Committee selections Commissioner Happy Chandler, and longtime New York Giants shortstop Travis Jackson.

The quartet was inducted on August 1, 1982 on a hot summer day in Cooperstown. Shown here is an invitation to the festivities signed by Jackson at the bottom.

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Hank Aaron broke into the big leagues in 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves and made an immediate impact. For the first for years of his career, the manager of the Braves was Charlie Grimm. Over that four-year span, Aaron was a three-time All Star and league MVP.

By the time Grimm was fired, Aaron had twice led the league in doubles and total bases, and once each in hits, runs, homers, runs batted in, and batting average. He was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

After Aaron was voted into the Hall with 98.7% of the vote Grimm at that time 83 years old, sent Hank a congratulatory telegram. In the collection is this letter from Aaron to Grim thanking him for the “kind thoughts” of the telegram.

Grim would die the following year in 1983.

One can only imagine how many positive letters, cards, and telegrams Aaron must have received after gaining admission to Cooperstown. Though the ceremony would take place later that summer, Aaron wrote the letter in January, showing a strong bond between him and Grimm.

Aaron letters are difficult to find, especially with content as strong as this example.

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Charlie Grimm lived his golden year in Scottsdale, Arizona. Grimm is in the Hall of Fame discussion because of his long and distinguished playing career followed by a successful 19-year run as a manager.

Grimm amassed 2,299 career hits and a .295 average over his 20-year career. As a manager Grimm guided the Cubs to three National League championships, only to lose in the World Series each time.

First Grimm’s club played the Yankees in the 1932 Series that was highlighted by Babe Ruth’s supposed called shot. Three years later it was the Tigers that turned back the Cubs. Grimm’s final appearance in the Fall Classic came at the helm of the 1945 squad that again dropped to Detroit.

Shown here is a magazine photo signed by Grimm.