MLB Pays Tribute to Hank Aaron with All-Star Game Spectacle
In an emotional ceremony during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball honored the legendary Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, recreating his historic home run number 715 through an impressive combination of projection and pyrotechnics.
After the sixth inning at Truist Park, the lights dimmed and the fans present turned on the flashlights of their mobile phones. The scene, which evoked April 8, 1974, at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was projected onto the infield and displayed on the giant screen.
Aaron and other players’ high-tech images came to life, culminating in an explosion of fire from home plate, symbolizing the home run that surpassed Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs.
Billye Aaron, widow of Hank Aaron, joined the celebration, greeting the crowd as the cheers of the 41,702 attendees, who sold out the tickets, echoed in the stadium.
National League players warmed up for the game wearing practice jerseys with Aaron’s number 44 on the back, a gesture of recognition to his legacy.
A year ago, MLB commemorated the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s home run with the announcement of a new statue in the Baseball Hall of Fame and a commemorative stamp from the United States Postal Service.
Commissioner Rob Manfred also participated in the ceremony in Atlanta last year, joining the Braves to announce the donation of $100,000 for a scholarship at Tuskegee University, a historically Black institution in Aaron’s home state of Alabama.
Manfred highlighted the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, established by the Braves after Aaron’s death in 2021, and the Chasing the Dream Foundation, created by Aaron and his wife, designed to open paths for minorities in baseball and foster educational opportunities.
Aaron hit 755 home runs between 1954 and 1976, a record that stood until Barry Bonds reached 762 in 2007.
Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982. He was a 25-time All-Star and set a record with 2,297 RBIs. He still holds the records for 1,477 extra-base hits and 6,856 total bases.
