On April 8 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves broke Babe Ruth’s home run record when he hit his 715th career home run. Aaron, who was known as “Hammerin’ Hank,” crushed a pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing to left-centerfield in the fourth inning.
Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s record of 714 homers on April 4 during the first game of the season.
Hank Aaron went on to finish his career with 755 home runs, making him only second to Barry Bonds, who finished his career with 762.
Here’s a look back at photos from Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record.
