Hank Aaron bio, life journey, quotes, net worth and cause of death

Hank Aaron, a professional baseball player, held many celebrating records in his career life. He faced many ups and downs. But has always been brave to leave an impact in every game. In fact, he has surpassed all the battling records made by famous hitters, including Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Stan Musial. But unfortunately, Aaron left us on January 22, 2021, at the age of 86. Before proceed with this article we would like to visit our tech blog Gadgets Launch and our recent article there is about the review of MP3 Juice. Please visit and share your feedback. Now, let proceed with this article and know more about Hank Aaron life journey.

Hank Aaron Stats and his glorious performances

Hank Aaron, the home run king, has his name all over the record book. The legend has marked many great accomplishments, including surpassing Babe Ruth’s long-established home run record. He has a record of 755 home runs in MLB rank second all-time, very close to Barry Bonds. 

Hank holds 3000 career hits without even taking home runs into considerations. In other words, he is the only player who has 3000 hits in the 500 home run club without counting his home runs. The second player who is near the legend is Eddie Murray. He is the only other player who surpasses 2500 career hits without counting the home runs. 

Another great achievement of Hank Aaron stats is that he did not disappear with age. He led the home runs for five years continuously, even though he crossed his age 35 to age 39 seasons. This was the most any player had over the five years. Plus, he did it with ease, i.e., hitting with 18 more home runs. 

Moreover, he never hit more than 50 home runs in one single season, but he also managed to make his 755-career home run record. Also, Hank made an all-star team each season when he was just 21-41 years old. This is a great achievement in the sports career. 

Many call Hank Aaron the iron man as he has played more than 145 games in 16 consecutive seasons. He was one of the greatest players anyone could have. However, the most insane stats about Hank’s career is that, seeing his consistency, he won only one MVP award. 

But Hank always had a great eye at the plate. As he in his career walked 19 more times that he got struck out. Plus, his ten seasons with more than 30 home runs and fewer than 65 strikeouts are what makes the MLB history the most interesting. Overall speaking, he was the king of baseball. 

Furthermore, looking at the longevity of the player’s career, Hank has hundreds of collectible cards which hold great value. His most valuable card is the 1954 Hank Aaron Topps rookie card which holds a net worth of $350k +. So, Hank Aaron baseball card is considered a big investment among the investors. 

He was a fighter against poverty too

Hank Aaron was born on February 5, 1934. He lived in Mobile, Ala, with his mother Estella, his father Herbert, and his eight siblings. His father worked in a shipyard to earn his living. Moreover, his mother joined her husband in overseeing the close-knit family. She always encouraged Hank to go to college for a bright future. 

In the year 1948, when Robinson broke the major league color barrier, he was in Mobile for his spring training game. Hank also joined the crowd of black youngsters who had gathered to hear Robinson tell them everything about the possibilities that is now open to Black people. 

Robinson also talked about the need for good education. But Hank cared little about high school studies and was much of a ballplayer. Nevertheless, he idolized Robinson and started his path towards baseball to escape poverty and segregation. 

His growth over the years

While Hank was just a teenager, he played alongside his seniors for many years as a shortstop for the semipro Mobile Black Bears. He then got an opportunity in the Negro leagues’ Indianapolis Clowns. It was a barnstorming team that also combined the entertainment of baseball. After the 1952 season with the Clowns, Hank joined the Braves, who played their last season at Boston. They assigned him to play as a part of their farm team in Eau Claire. Further, in the season, he was named as the Northern League’s rookie of the year. 

After such an achievement, he was promoted in 1953 to play for Jacksonville as their second base. He also played from the Sally League or the South Atlantic League team and became one of the circuit’s first five amazing black players. 

His remarkable journey starts

His actual historic career began when he was selected as a replacement for Bobby Thomson in the New York Giants. Aaron took his place as Thomson broke his ankle during an exhibition season, and at the time, he was just the age of 20. 

He hit his first major league home run at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Even after Thomson returned after his recovery in July, Aaron remained the team member until he, too, injured his ankle in September.

After he won his first batting title in 1956, he led a remarkable 1957 season. In the year, he took home the National League MVP and nearly grabbed the Triple Crown by completing 44 home runs. 

In the same year when he was the hot topic, he showed his ability the most. His 11th inning home run pushes forward the Braves into the World Series. It is the series where he led underdog Milwaukee to a win against the New York Yankees in seven games. 

When the game was still far away from the multimillion-dollar contract, Hank’s annual pay in 1959 was around 30,000 dollars. 

Right after, over the next decade and a half, the legendary player banged out 30 to 40 home runs every year. Finally, in 1973, when he reached the age of 39, he was still a force hitting 40 home runs to fulfill his career dream to make a total of 713, just behind Ruth’s record. 

On April 8, he hit his record 715th home run. It was a great triumph and relief as thousands of fans cheered him. Later there were also fireworks and bands. 

He had such an incredible journey, beating poverty and becoming a baseball legend. Hank Aaron net worth when he died was $25 million. 

Encountering Racism

As he grew closer to achieving the home run No. 714, the chase of surpassing Babe Ruth’s record showed how the baseball world was far from being free from racial tensions. Letters in the name of Aaron poured into the Braves offices; it was almost 3000 a day. While some wrote to congratulate him on his success, others wrote death threats as they were appalled that a Black man was about to break baseball’s most awestruck record. 

But Hank did not stop; he pushed himself forwards. He did not inflame the atmosphere but also did not keep his mouth shut against the injustice. Moreover, the legend spoke about the league’s lack of management and ownership. He said that there were not many opportunities for minorities who had talent but no medium to show it. 

Hank Aarons cause of death

Many still wonder how did Hank Aaron die. According to the reports of his death, it said that he died of natural causes. There was also some news about Hank Aaron COVID vaccine and whether he took it or not. But it was quite clear that his death was not related to Covid-19. The legendary home runner had already been vaccinated at the Morehouse. In fact, he also encouraged many Black Americans to take the same. 

He died two weeks later after being vaccinated for the first dose of COVID-19 on January 5. According to the statement released from the Atlanta Braves, he died peacefully in his sleep. After his passing away news many famous personalities came forward on Twitter and expressed their condolences. They all said how pitiful it was as baseball lost one of its great heroes, an inspiring model, and a philanthropist. 

Some inspiring quotes by Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron quotes are inspiring to the people fighting for their passion. In one of his quotes, he said it took him seventeen years to reach the record of 3000 thousand hits in baseballs. But, he was able to make it as he never doubted his ability. He also said that he is hoping that someday some other kid will hit more, no matter black or white. 

In one of his other quotes, he also said that the motto of his life was always to keep swinging. It should not matter if he is feeling down or in trouble. This saying shows that consistency is the key, and you must not wait for things to get better, keep yourself dedicated. 

Final Words

Hank Aaron was a hero and a legendary baseball player. He was a great inspiration to people who think they can’t come out of their problems. The legend fought through poverty, racism, and difficult criticism but did not give up. He also tried to motivate others by sharing inspiring quotes and achievements. He is probably the best-remembered player for surpassing the all-time home run record of Babe Ruth.