Nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank” or “The Hammer,” Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron is acknowledged as the brightest star of Major League Baseball. In the long history of MLB, Hank Aaron holds a unique identity for all ages. He is still regarded as the greatest baseball player in the history of the sport.
Today, Hank Aaron holds multiple records. The Sporting News ranked him fifth on their list of “100 Greatest Baseball Players” in 1999. Also, Aaron was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 as well. If you visit the hall today, you’ll see that he’s only individual player to have his own exhibition/wing of the facility.
He holds the record for most runs scored in MLB history. He also broke Babe Ruth’s record of 714 career home runs; finishing with 755.
That record has since been broken, but is it legit?
This question if often raised by Aaron’s true fans, and there are many baseball experts and fans who fdin this fact highly debatable.
Who Broke the 755 Career Home Run Record?
George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. was the first notable baseball player to hold this record. In 1935, Babe Ruth hit his final and 714th home run, a record that would stand for 39 years. In 1974, Hank Aaron surpassed that mark, and then held the milestone for 33 years.
Aaron’s record was then broken in August of 2007, by Barry Lamar Bonds, an outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. Barry Bonds did make history and receive praise for doing so. However, his milestone will always be clouded by the narrative of performance-enhancing drugs.
So did he break the record illegitimately?
The Allegations – Were They True?
Bonds broke Aaron’s record in 2007, but the steroids scandal first emerged in 2003. He has been the key figure in the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) Scandal. BALCO was an American company that marketed a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid.
It was tetrahydrogestrinone, also known as ‘The Clear’, as it was undetectable to doping tests.
From the start, Barry Bonds has consistently declared himself innocent in this matter. However, when his trainer was called for questioning, matters took a turn.
This trainer was indicted by a grand jury and charged for supplying anabolic steroids. He was found to have delivered performance-enhancing drugs to many different athletes, including several star baseball players.
This revelation led many to believe that Barry Bonds was also involved. It was speculated that Bonds took these drugs during a period when MLB didn’t have mandatory testing. Even then Barry Bonds kept denying it and claimed his greatly enlarged physique and dramatically enhanced stamina was a result of bodybuilding, legitimate supplements and diet.
After so much media attention and scrutiny, Bonds disclosed using a clear substance and also a cream that he received from his trainer. He told the grand jury that the trainer informed him the clear substance was some sort of nutritional supplement. Later, in a leaked grand jury testimony, Bonds was found to have admitted usage of “the cream and the clear,” but unknowingly. He claimed he thought it was flaxseed oil.
The Greatest Sham of MLB
Sooner or later, the home run record had to be broken, but fair play is what matters most. Hank Aaron worked hard to break the record of Babe Ruth and played fair and square throughout his career. Barry Bonds, on the other hand, allegedly used illegal performance enhancers. Should such records be celebrated?
In 2013, Barry Bonds became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but has since never received the required 75% of the vote. The BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) didn’t vote for him, as they believe Bonds knowingly took steroids.
So, what do you believe? Is Barry Bonds the king of the home run? Or is Hank Aaron the genuine home run king?
Barry Bonds also withdrew from the MLB Players Association licensing agreement. This means you can never find him on any merchandise associated with MLB today. On the other hand, you can get your hands on this Hank Aaron Baseball Card. Support your true baseball legend.