Tommy House, right, an Atlanta Braves pitcher, gives Hank Aaron the ball from his 715th career home run, April 8, 1974. House caught the ball in the bullpen and came in from the warmup area to present it to his teammate.
Apr. 8, 1974
In one of the most famous nights in baseball history, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves shattered Babe Ruth’s record total of 714 career home runs, which had been in place since May 1935 and had long been considered unbreakable. After hitting it over the fence on a high fastball from Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, Aaron trudged around the bases with his head down until two fans ran up and patted him on the back as he headed toward third. The ball landed in the Braves’ bullpen where relief pitcher Tom House caught it and returned it to Aaron. The ball can now be seen in an exhibit at the Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum & Hall of Fame, located on the northwest side of Turner field in Atlanta.