The sport of baseball has had many historic nights but may have not had a night as special as the night that Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth for the most all-time career home run record 50 years ago.
50 years ago today, April 8, 1974, was a day that has now become entrenched in the history of American sports.
It was the exact night that Aaron broke Ruth’s all-time home run record when Dodgers pitcher Al Downing threw a fastball that was sent over the left-center field wall for Aaron’s 715th career home run.
That historic night not only impacted the legacy of Aaron but also all of the key figures that were involved.
Downing, who threw the pitch, teammates Dusty Baker who was on the on deck circle and Tom House who caught the ball in the Braves bullpen.
The three of them joined sportscaster and author, Ted Sobel, on a very special episode of Touching Greatness to talk about the historic night and it’s impact on baseball.
