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Photo: Texas Rangers via tradingcarddb.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

Okay, apologies up front.\u00a0 This is what happens when a baseball geek has too much time on his hands. (It is the off-season, after all.) Regular readers know how much Baseball Roundtable loves a coincidence. Well, here\u2019s a handful of coincidences surrounding Hank Aaron and the number four.<\/p>\n

Side note: As a youngster living in Milwaukee, I was just six-years old when the Braves moved to Milwaukee from Boston. Very quickly Hank Aaron (we often referred to him as Henry and later “Bad Henry” … in a good way) and Eddie Mathews became my heroes.\u00a0 In the Milwaukee Braves’ early seasons, the debate around our household focused on who was the bigger star – Aaron or Mathews?\u00a0 Both, of course, made the Hall of Fame (Aaron did pull ahead in the debate) and I followed both their careers closely (even after the Braves left for Atlanta).\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hank Aaron first came up to the Braves in 1954<\/em><\/strong>, he was assigned number five (the number he had worn in Spring Training). \u00a0\u00a0On September 5 of that season, Aaron fractured his ankle \u2013 ending the 20-year-old\u2019s season with .280-13-69 stat line (in 122 games). \u00a0Aaron finished four<\/em><\/strong>th in the Rookie of the Year balloting, behind ROY winner Cardinals\u2019 outfielder Wally Moon (.304-12-76, with 106 runs and 18 steals); Cubs\u2019 SS Ernie Banks; and Braves\u2019 pitcher Gene Conley. The next season, Aaron selected number 44<\/em><\/strong> (which he wore for the remainder of his career) \u2013 and the foundation for this post was laid.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s look at the link between Aaron and the number 4.<\/p>\n

Passing the Babe<\/strong><\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a>This is perhaps the most publicized numerical coincidence of Aaron\u2019s career. Aaron broke Babe Ruth\u2019s long-standing record of 714 <\/em><\/strong>career home runs on the eighth day of the four<\/em><\/strong>th month of the 1974 <\/em><\/strong>season. The record-breaking blow came in the four<\/em><\/strong>th inning of the Braves\u2019 fourt<\/em><\/strong>h game of the campaign.\u00a0 Aaron, of course, was wearing number 44 \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>and he hit the landmark homer off Al Downing, who was wearing number 44 <\/em><\/strong>for the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

Tying the Babe<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one is perhaps less publicized. Aaron hit his record-tying 714<\/em><\/strong>^{th<\/sup> long ball on Opening Day 1974<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 which happened to be April four<\/strong>th, the four<\/strong>th day of the four<\/strong>th month of the year. It came off of the Reds\u2019 Jack Billingham in Aaron’s first at bat of the season. It was Aaron’s first regular-season game after turning 4<\/em><\/strong>0-years-old.<\/p>\n}

Now, for a few, less-dramatic coincidences.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not 4-get:<\/p>\n

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Aaron hit 44<\/em><\/strong> home runs in a season more times than any other total. How many times?\u00a0 You guessed it \u2013 four<\/strong> different seasons \u2013 winning three of his four<\/em><\/strong> home run titles with that number of long balls.\u00a0 (He won another title with 39.) Aaron also hit 4<\/strong>0<\/em> or more home runs in four<\/strong> additional seasons (40, 40, 45, 47), but did not top the league in any of those years.<\/li>\n

Aaron led the NL in home runs four <\/em><\/strong>times; RBI four<\/strong> times; doubles four<\/strong> times; and slugging percentage four times.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n $\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n
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Aaron, with Eddie Mathews, holds the record for the most regular -season home runs by teammates at 863 – no fours, but they are exactly\u00a0 four <\/em><\/strong>home runs ahead of the number-two combination (Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig).<\/li>\n
Despite his storied career, Aaron won only one Most Valuable Plyer Award.\u00a0 It came in his four<\/strong>th MLB season – 1957 when he went .322-44-132 for the Braves and led the NL in runs, homers, RBI, and total bases.<\/li>\n
In Joe Posnanski\u2019s acclaimed book \u201cThe Baseball 100,\u201d<\/em> he rates Hank Aaron as the (Yes, you guessed it.) four<\/strong>th-greatest ballplayer of all time (behind Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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A 4ce On And Off The Field<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
In 2010, Henry Aaron’s Chasing the Dream Foundation established its 4-for-4<\/strong><\/em> scholarship program annually providing at least $4<\/strong><\/em>,000 per year for four<\/strong> years to 12 students.\u00a0 Twelve, by the way, is the number of times number 44<\/strong><\/em> went f0ur-for-four<\/strong> <\/em>in his career.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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On June 8, 1961, Aaron was part of the first four<\/strong> MLB teammates ever to homer back-to-back-to-back-to back in an inning (a record that has been tied but not broken). The quartet included Eddie Mathews, Aaron, Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas.<\/li>\n
Aaron collected 293 Intentional (four<\/strong>-ball) walks, fourth<\/strong> all-time.<\/li>\n
Aaron won one Player of the Week Award, for the week ending April 14, 1974 – or 4<\/strong><\/em>-14<\/strong><\/em>-74<\/strong><\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
An All Star Quirk of Fate<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Henry Aaron appeared in a record-tying 24 <\/em><\/strong>All Star Games – and fate intervened a couple of times to make that 24<\/strong><\/em> possible. (Aaron played 23 seasons and was an All Star in 21\u00a0 – all but his first and last campaigns. However, in the four<\/strong><\/em> seasons from 1959 through 1962, MLB experimented with two All Star Games. Aaron was selected to all eight squads, giving him 25 All Star selections in 23 seasons. However, he was replaced for the first All Star Game in 1962 (injury), which resulted in his total of 24<\/strong><\/em> All Star Games played.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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Aaron was born in 1934,<\/strong><\/em> made his MLB debut in 1954<\/strong><\/em> and broke Babe Ruth’s all-time HR record in 1974<\/strong><\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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The most doubles Aaron ever hit in a season was 4<\/em><\/strong>0, the most triples 14<\/em><\/strong>; the most total bases and even 4<\/em><\/strong>00<\/em> (He led the NL in total bases eight times and in four<\/em><\/strong> of those seasons, there was at least one four in his total; (400, 344, 340, 334.) Okay, I\u2019m getting in a little deep, so I\u2019ll stop here. (But you can see where my mind wanders in the off-season.)\u00a0 Oh heck, maybe one more line.\u00a0 His 2,174<\/strong><\/em> games appearing in right field are four<\/strong><\/em>th all-time, as are his 4<\/strong><\/em>,161 putouts as a right fielder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Coming soon, a Baseball Roundtable Hall of Fame lineup \u2013 and the pitchers who \u201cowned\u201d them.<\/p>\n
Primary Resources:<\/em> Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com<\/p>\n
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P1010<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Okay, apologies up front.\u00a0 This is what happens when a baseball geek has too much time on his hands. (It is the off-season, after all.) Regular readers know how much Baseball Roundtable loves a coincidence. Well, here\u2019s a handful of coincidences surrounding Hank Aaron and the number four. Side note: As a youngster living in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n