Hank Aaron
By Bryce Mallett
Introduction
He was up to bat with an average of .305. Sweat was running down his face; he gripped the bat, and stepped into the box. The pitch came in like a rocket. Swing and a miss. “STRIKE 1” said the ump as the crowd went silent. The next pitch was thrown. A powerful swing came and there was a huge CRACK. It’s going, it’s going, it’s going, It’s GONE! He had hit his 755th home run of his career.
Early Life
Henry Louis Aaron was born on February 5th, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. His mom and dad are Estella and Herbert Aaron. He had seven siblings. When he was young, he had a dream to be a MLB player. His dad said “don’t keep your hopes up, ain't no colored ballplayers.” He didn’t have a bat or a ball so he used sticks and bottle caps instead. His dream really had a chance to be true when Jackie Robinson entered the league as the first ever black ballplayer. Hank attended Central high school and Josephine Allen institute.
Adult Life
When he was older he played in the Negro Leagues for the Indianapolis Clowns, Eau Claire, and Jacksonville. One game when a Braves scout saw him they were impressed by how he played. They signed him to a contract. He played for the Milwaukee Braves for 12 seasons and the Braves moved to Atlanta. He played for the Atlanta Braves for 9 years. He got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for 2 seasons and after that he retired. During his career fans would call him racial slurs, they would send letters threatening to kill him if he kept playing. The fans threw rocks at him and they would stop coming to games. Both the Braves and the Brewers retired his number 44 jersey.
Quotes
"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or felling badly or having trouble in the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."
"Failure is part of success."
Important Dates
He was born on February 5th, 1934. In 1953 he married Barbara Lucas, they had 4 kids. In 1957 he was MVP and the world series champ. In 1970 he was the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Winner. In 1973 he married Billeye Williams. In 1982 he was inducted to the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. On April 8th,2008 his mom died (Estella Aaron)
Remembered For
Hank Aaron is remembered for being a superstar on the field. He had 3,771 hits, 755 home runs, and 2,297 RBI's. Hank Aaron is still alive at the age of 80.
Conclusion
Hank Aaron stuck to his dream and worked hard. He put discrimination out of his mind, and had a amazing career. He helped prove that it doesn't matter about the color of the skin and both can have the same ability.
Sources
-Tavares, Matt. Henry Aaron's Dream. Shenzen, Guangdong, China : Candlewick Press, 2010 Print.
-Goldsworthey, Steve. The Greatest Players: Baseball. New York, New York: AV2, 2012. Print.