Is Hank Aaron still the home run king 40 years later?
OPINION - Bonds holds the record for most home runs hit in a season. But he’ll never be the true home run leader...
Forty years ago today, Hank Aaron etched his name in baseball’s history books, breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record.
That April evening was an incredible accomplishment for Aaron, as well as African-Americans, who looked up to Aaron as a hero.
Forty years later and Aaron is still revered by baseball writers, historians and fans. The awe in which fans view Aaron’s accomplishments is outweighed by the awe in which they view the man, who is one of baseball’s classiest, most dignified ambassadors.
Thanks to the record, Aaron is remembered by both fans fortunate enough to see him play, and a younger generation that still view him as one of the game’s best. Aaron broke the record more than a decade before I was born. I’ve never seen him play, other than in highlights. Still, he’s one of my favorite players of all time, which is a sentiment shared by many baseball fans.
Aaron was never a hulking, physically intimidating force at the plate. He was fairly slight for a home run hitter. He never had a 50-home run season.
The way Aaron broke the record was with consistency. He had at least 30 home runs 15 different times. The surges in power we’d see in the late 1990s/early 2000s – aided largely by performance-enhancing drugs – were never part of Aaron’s game.
While many will always view Aaron as the true home run leader, he’s currently No. 2 on the list behind Barry Bonds.
Bonds hit 40 home runs seven different times in his career, including hitting a MLB record 73 home runs in 2001. Â He also used performance-enhancing drugs. He was unarguably the best player of his generation. He was also a malcontent, and was never kind to the media.
Bonds holds the record for most home runs hit in a season. But he’ll never be the true home run leader.
Aaron never cheated, which is the obvious argument for why he’s the true home run king. The way he carried himself though also plays a part here. Aaron endured racism, ignorance, and death threats. He never let it break him, and instead channeled that negative energy at the plate.
Bonds always felt disrespected. That’s the energy he used at the plate. Unfortunately that energy spilled over off the field, leading to rude behavior to the media and fans.
Aaron has become an ambassador for the game. He’s been a spokesperson for baseball, and speaks on a variety of issues in the sport. He’s good friends with Commissioner Bud Selig.
Bonds is viewed mostly as a pariah. He’s had trouble breaking back into the game he dominated for so many years. He was an instructor at the San Francisco Giants Spring Training for a week last month, but no permanent baseball job is imminent, either as a coach or in a front office position.
Aaron was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’ll always be viewed as one of the best of all time. He has a place in baseball history as great player and greater person, and is beloved by fans of all races. Bonds may never be a Hall of Famer. He’ll always be viewed as one of the game’s biggest jerks. He has a place in baseball history as a cheater, and is hated by large segments of baseball’s fanbase.
Aaron’s triumph forty years ago is an iconic moment in baseball history. He is the true home run king. And the way he handled himself, both on and off the field, will ensure he’s always praised as one of the game’s best.
Follow Stefen Lovelace on Twitter @StefenLovelace.
