Hank Aaron’s 1973 season was terrific by any measure. But it ended with Aaron just shy of equaling Babe Ruth’s home run record.
with TV manufacturer Magnavox, as fans anticipated his breaking Ruth’s record the next year. He also came in second place in the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year poll, behind Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson.But the start of Aaron’s 1974 season was clouded by controversy, when the Braves said they would keep him out of an opening three-game series in Cincinnati so he could break the record in Atlanta.
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn recalled in his autobiography, “Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner,” that he urged Braves owner Bill Bartholomay to play Aaron in Cincinnati, hoping Bartholomay would agree to do so without any coercion. When the owner refused to budge, Kuhn said he made it clear “I would write Aaron into the lineup myself if he left me no alternative.
Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, the future president, was on the field to congratulate Aaron, and Nixon called the stadium and connected with Aaron by phone in the Braves dugout. But there was a notable no-show that night: Kuhn. The baseball commissioner instead sent Monte Irvin, the former Negro League and New York Giants star, to represent his office. Kuhn had another engagement that day — speaking to the Indians “Wahoo Club,” a booster organization, in Cleveland.
Irvin presented Aaron a watch on the field, but when Irvin mentioned the commissioner, the boos rained down from the fans.In his autobiography, Kuhn discussed the controversy in a chapter titled, “While Addressing the Wahoo Club …” He seemed to have some second thoughts about how he handled it. “Was it a wise public relations move?” he asked.
As for Aaron? He hinted at the darker side of the pursuit when he addressed the crowd that night: “I just thank God it’s all over,” he said.
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