Longtime Home Run King Hank Aaron Passed Away at Age 86

The baseball world has suffered from a string of unfortunate passings of legendary icons in recent months, and today’s news hits as hard as any other. Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron, Hall of Famer and longtime home run king, passed away this morning at age 86.

Hammerin’ Hank will go down in history as possibly the game’s greatest power hitter. He still holds the career record for runs batted in with 2,297 and is second on the all-time home run list with 755. He was voted to All-Star Games in 21 consecutive seasons, a remarkable feat.

However, Aaron meant much more to baseball than his ability to drive in runs and smash homers. As one of the most prominent African-American baseball players ever, Aaron served as an ambassador for the game. He helped many young athletes grow accustomed to the life of the everyday professional ballplayer. He advocated for the growth of baseball and even supported players chasing his own records. When Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run in San Francisco, the stadium played a pre-recorded message from Aaron congratulating Bonds on the accomplishment.

There may never be another player like Hank Aaron, but he did his best to make sure baseball is in the best place it could be under his watch.

Hank Aaron’s Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, New York.

Courtesy of Baseball Hall of Fame.