Connect with us

Southeast

On this day in history, July 14, 1968, Hank Aaron hits 500th career home run

Published

on

On this day in history, July 14, 1968, Hank Aaron hits 500th career home run

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

On this day in history, July 14, 1968, Atlanta Braves legend Henry “Hank” Aaron hit the 500th home run of his record-breaking career in a 4-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. 

With 499 career home runs under his belt, Aaron hit a three-run shot in the third inning of the game off Giants’ pitcher Mike McCormick, noted History.com.

Advertisement

“Aaron was mobbed at home plate by his teammates and presented with an award by Braves President Bill Bartholomay for reaching 500 home runs,” the same source noted.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JULY 13, 1937, KRISPY KREME IS FOUNDED 

Born on Feb. 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama, Henry Aaron exhibited athletic prowess in his youth. 

He was a star football player, third baseman and outfielder in high school. 

He signed with the Negro League’s Mobile Black Bears while still a teenager, recounted History.com. 

Advertisement

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron smiles as he is honored with a street named after him outside CoolToday Park, the spring training baseball facility of the Atlanta Braves, in North Port, Florida, in this Feb. 18, 2020, file photo.  (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Aaron joined the Indianapolis Clowns in 1952 at age 18 and assisted the team in winning the Negro League World Series. 

The following year, Aaron’s contract was sold to the Milwaukee Braves of the National League, the same source indicated. 

“On April 13, 1954, Aaron became the last former Negro League player to make his debut in the major leagues,” said History.com.

It wasn’t until 1973 that Aaron was thrust into the national spotlight as he neared the finish of a successful assault on one of sport’s most cherished records: Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs.

Advertisement

Many baseball historians believe 1957 was arguably Aaron’s best season. 

“He hit .322 that year with 44 home runs and 132 RBIs, captured the National League MVP Award and led the Braves to their first World Series Championship since 1914,” noted the same source.

Aaron also went on to hit 203 home runs between 1969 and 1973, said History.com.

Despite his consistent production, it wasn’t until 1973 that Aaron was thrust into the national spotlight as he neared the finish of a successful assault on one of sport’s most cherished records: Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Hank Aaron greets Barry Bonds

In this July 12, 2004, file photo, home run record holder Hank Aaron (right) greets San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds before the start of the All-Star Home Run Derby in Houston, Texas. Hank Aaron endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

“It was on April 8, 1974, that Hammerin’ Hank sent a 1-0 pitch from Dodgers hurler Al Downing into the left field bullpen at Atlanta-Fulton Count Stadium, giving Aaron 715 career home runs,” recounted the same source.

Advertisement

Aaron would finish his career with 755 home runs.

ON THIS DAY HISTORY, APRIL 8, 1974, HANK AARON BREAKS BABE RUTH’S HOME RUN RECORD

He remains baseball’s all-time leader in RBIs (2,297) and total bases (6,856). 

Aaron’s home run record stood until the 2007 season, which ended when Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run.

It was shortly after Hank Aaron’s record-breaking home run that Rep. Andrew Young, Democrat of Georgia, declared, “Through his long career, Hank Aaron has been a model of humility, dignity and quiet competence. He did not seek the adoration that is accorded to other national athletic heroes, yet he has now earned it,” according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Advertisement

After the 1974 season, Aaron was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, who were at that time in the American League, according to Britannica.com. 

hank aaron 1999 picture

Baseball’s home run record holder, player Hank Aaron, acknowledges the crowd as he’s introduced before throwing out the first pitch for the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners on April 5, 1999, in Seattle, Washington. Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run surpassed Babe Ruth’s record.    (DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images)

He retired following the 1976 season and rejoined the Atlanta Braves as an executive, the same source said.

Throughout his 23-year career, “Hammerin’ Hank” was a slugging powerhouse, noted the Smithsonian Institution. 

Aaron not only held the home run record but also the records for at-bats, total bases, extra-base hits and runs batted in, the same source recounted. 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JAN. 29, 1936, NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME ELECTS FIRST MEMBERS

Advertisement

In addition to beating and reaching home run records, here is a summary of Aaron’s other baseball achievements, per the Smithsonian Institution.

  • 755 career home runs
  • Records: at bats (12,364); total bases (6,856); hits (3,771); extra base hits (1,477); RBIs (2,297); games played (3,298)
  • National League MVP, 1957
  • 3 Gold Glove awards, 1958-1960
  • 24 All-Star game appearances
  • One of first African Americans to work in baseball management

Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 13, 1982.

Hank aaron retired press conference

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron attends the 2017 Hank Aaron Award press conference prior to game two of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2017, in Los Angeles, California.   (Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

In 2002, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

The plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame reads, “Hit 755 home runs in 23-year career to become Majors’ all-time homer king. Had 20 or more for 20 consecutive years, at least 30 in 15 seasons and 40 or better eight times. Also set records for games played (3,298), at-bats (12,364), long hits (1,477), total bases (6,856), runs batted in (2,297). Paced N.L. in batting twice and homers, runs batted in and slugging pct. four times each. Won Most Valuable Player Award in N.L. in 1957.”

Advertisement

In 2010, the Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum opened on the grounds of Hank Aaron Stadium, the home of Mobile, Alabama’s minor league baseball team, said Britannica.com. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

He passed away on Jan. 22, 2021, at age 86.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southeast

Former federal prosecutor in death row case speaks on Biden commuting murderer's sentence: 'My heart aches'

Published

on

Former federal prosecutor in death row case speaks on Biden commuting murderer's sentence: 'My heart aches'

A former federal prosecutor in the case that sent a man to death row says it is difficult to see a “remorseless murderer” be relieved of his sentence following President Biden’s decision on Monday to commute nearly all federal inmates facing execution.

Brandon Council, of North Carolina, was sentenced to death by a federal jury on Oct. 3, 2019, after he was found guilty of killing two women who worked at a South Carolina bank during a robbery in 2017. 

Council was one of the 37 convicted murderers who will now spend life in prison without parole after Biden reclassified their death sentences.

Derek Shoemake, former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina and one of the federal prosecutors in the case against Council, told Fox News Digital it was “one of the greatest professional honors” of his life to pursue justice for victims Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn Skeen, 36, and his heart aches for their families following Biden’s decision.

BIDEN COMMUTES SENTENCES OF 37 FEDERAL DEATH ROW INMATES IN FINAL MONTH OF PRESIDENCY

Advertisement

Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn (Katie) Skeen, 36, were killed in cold blood by Brandon Council while he robbed a South Carolina bank in 2017. (Derek Shoemake)

“Donna and Katie were amazing women, wonderful mothers, and beacons of light in their community. Today my thoughts and prayers are with their families, and my heart aches for them as they process this news,” Shoemake said in a statement.

He also said his thoughts and prayers are with the team who “worked for more than a year” getting justice for Major and Skeen, “ensuring a remorseless murderer received a sentence that spoke to the horrific nature of his senseless crimes.”

Brandon Council mugshot

Brandon Council is one of 37 federal death row inmates who escaped execution following President Biden’s decision to commute their sentences. (DeathPenaltyInfo.org)

Council entered CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, on Aug. 21, 2017, with the intention of robbing the business and killing its employees, according to a 2017 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina (USAO-SC).

After making it inside, Council shot Major, who was the bank teller, multiple times with a revolver, the USAO-SC said at the time. He then ran into Skeen’s office, where she worked as the bank’s manager, and shot her multiple times while she hid under her desk. 

Advertisement

Before fleeing the bank, he stole keys to both victims’ cars, their bank cards and more than $15,000 in cash. He took one of the vehicles to a motel he was staying at, packed his luggage and drove off.

FBI AGENT SAYS BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT BRANDON COUNCIL CONFESSED HE WOULD KILL

“It is difficult to see a sentence wiped away from 400 miles away after it was legally imposed by a jury of men and women from South Carolina who spent weeks listening to evidence, deliberating, and carefully deciding the appropriate punishment,” Shoemake said.

He also said it hurts that the victims’ families “will celebrate yet another Christmas without their loved ones,” while Council is among the 37 federally convicted murderers “celebrating a political victory.”

BIDEN’S DECISION TO COMMUTE SENTENCES FOR DEATH ROW INMATES SPARKS SOCIAL MEDIA FRENZY

Advertisement
Most federal death row inmates were housed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Most federal death row inmates were housed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Shoemake said his focus is not on the political debate surrounding Biden’s commutations, but on the “legacy of love, family, and faith” that Major and Skeen embodied.

“I pray for their families, as I so often do, and I pray for all the victims’ families impacted today,” he said.

In a White House statement announcing the commutations on Monday, Biden said he condemns the murderers and their “despicable acts,” and he grieves for the victims and families who have suffered “unimaginable and irreparable loss,” but he “cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”

Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 convicted murderers on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. He left Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers (left), Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof (middle) and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right). (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, from left, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, FBI via AP)

Only three inmates remain on federal death row as Biden’s presidency nears its end. They are Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southeast

Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

Published

on

Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

George Washington University law professor Jonthan Turley said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was “wrong” to bring the Georgia election interference case against President-elect Trump after a Georgia court disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting the case on Thursday.

GEORGIA APPEAL COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

JONATHAN TURLEY: The immediate impact of this decision is overwhelming in terms of Willis herself. I mean, this court is basically saying that these cases are not supposed to be sort of vanity projects. You know, you were told by the lower court that you created this appearance of impropriety and the question for the court is why you didn’t remove yourself. Many of us at the time said that most prosecutors would have seen that their continuation of the case was harming the case and harming the public interest. Willis simply refused to give up the ghost and insisted that she wanted to be the lead in this. 

She was wrong to bring the case against Trump. You know, there are some viable claims here. You know, she charged some people with unlawful entry or access to restricted areas. Those are not particularly serious crimes, but they are crimes. She was wrong to go after Trump on this basis. She clearly wanted to engage in lawfare, and that’s one of the reasons why she wouldn’t give up the case. You know, when this issue was first raised, many of us wrote at the time that the correct move was to remove yourself. You selected a former lover as the lead counsel. That violated, in my view, core ethical requirements. He was ultimately disqualified by the court. But Judge McAfee gave her a chance to do the right thing. He said, look, this is your conduct is wrong here and you can remove yourself. Well, he was talking to the wrong person. She had no interest in removing herself. I mean, lawfare is only valuable if you’re the lead warrior, and she was not going to give up that position. 

Advertisement

Fani Willis — the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia — previously said the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

The court did not toss Trump’s indictment entirely, but Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office now have “no authority to proceed.”

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he said, “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.” 

Advertisement

Trump said the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southeast

Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Published

on

Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein told MSNBC on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s reputation was “damaged” after a court disqualified her and her office from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in the election interference case against him.

“Her reputation is damaged, right? This was an unforced error as we said earlier, and, you know, this was all of her own doing, and now it unravels or might unravel one of the signature cases, not just of her career, but in Georgia. It leaves her damaged and it will be interesting to see what case she tries to make when she is expected to appeal this to the Georgia Supreme Court,” Bluestein told MSNBC’s Ana Caberra when asked about what was next for Willis.

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump and co-defendants in her election interference case. The court did not toss the indictment but declared that Willis and her team now have “no authority to proceed.” 

Bluestein noted that Willis had just won re-election in Georgia and that it wasn’t a surprise because Fulton County is a Democratic stronghold.

Reporter tells MSNBC Fani Willis’ reputation is damaged after she was disqualified from prosecuting the case against Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

Advertisement

 FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

Bluestein said, “It is expected to be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, but this is a really decisive order against Fani Willis being able to continue this case.”

Willis, who was spearheading the sweeping prosection case against Trump, came under fire after she was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecute the case.

Wade was ultimately forced to step down from the prosecution team.

Advertisement
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty) (Alyssa Pointer)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

Trump additionally said that the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

Catherine Christian, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, also weighed in on the disqualification on MSNBC.

Advertisement

“But usually appellate courts defer to the lower court, the trial judge, who fashioned a remedy. He said Nathan Wade, the man she was having an affair with, had to leave so the office could stay, and this court has said, nope. This court said that Judge MacAfee did not really appreciate that her decision-making wasn’t just the indictment. It was who to charge, how to charge it, and that’s at the time when this alleged romantic relationship was going on, and they said that also was one of the reasons why they think it’s more than an appearance of impropriety. It’s a conflict of interest, and not just her, the entire office is disqualified,” Christian said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fani Willis’ office for comment.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending