With the absolutely gut-wrenching passing of Hank Aaron today, baseball fans are still in mourning everywhere. There is no replacing Aaron’s impact on society and sports as a whole, but with Major League Baseball recently including stats from the past — an interesting thread popped up surrounding Hammerin’ Hank.
There's a very simple reason for that: Barry Bonds surpassed Aaron on the All-Time Home Runs list for @MLB, finishing with 762 HRs to Aaron's 755 HRs. Finding 8 HRs from his year with the Clowns would put Aaron back at the top of the Home Run list. I believe they're there.
— Ted Genoways (@TedGenoways) January 22, 2021
Now things get a little complicated. The 1952 series was eventually won by the Clowns, but there's no record of how many games were played. But one thing is clear… The news clip above is from Sept 15. This clip is from Oct 1—and says Aaron "has averaged a home run per game." pic.twitter.com/iuGdozgY4P
— Ted Genoways (@TedGenoways) January 22, 2021
That latter stat is unlikely to be good enough for @MLB, but it does mean that the home runs exist. #SABR historians could do a major service to Aaron's legacy by tracking down those numbers.
— Ted Genoways (@TedGenoways) January 22, 2021
I strongly encourage you to read the whole thread, but if this is true, the stats need to be counted. Regardless of your opinion on Barry Bonds, this is history that has to be included in the record books. While Major League Baseball’s cutoff year is 1948, that could be expanded in the future.
Hank Aaron will always be the true Home Run King to me. This isn’t what today is about; his legacy is so much more than that. However, the baseball community would be doing a great service to a wonderful man by finding these home runs.
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Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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