ATLANTA — Major League Baseball honored late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron by re-creating his record-breaking 715th home run through the use of projection mapping and pyrotechnics during Tuesday night's All-Star Game.
After the sixth inning, the lights went down at Truist Park and fans stood holding their cellphone lights. The scene from April 8, 1974, at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was projected on the infield and shown on the video board.
The high-tech images of Aaron and other players were seen before a blaze of a fireball launched from home plate to signify the homer that pushed Aaron past Babe Ruth's then-record of 714 homers.
Aaron's widow, Billye Aaron, stood and waved as the cheers from the sellout crowd of 41,702 grew louder.
National League players warmed up for the game in batting practice jerseys with Aaron's No. 44 on the back
One year ago, MLB celebrated the 50th anniversary of Aaron's homer with announcements for a new statue at Baseball's Hall of Fame and a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service.
Commissioner Rob Manfred also helped honor Aaron in Atlanta last year by joining the Braves in announcing the $100,000 endowment of a scholarship at Tuskegee University, a historically Black university in Aaron's home state of Alabama.
Manfred noted the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, launched by the Braves following Aaron's death in 2021, and the Chasing the Dream Foundation, created by Aaron and his wife, were designed to clear paths for minorities in baseball and to encourage educational opportunities.
Aaron hit 755 home runs from 1954 to 1976, a mark that stood until Barry Bonds reached 762 in 2007 during baseball's steroid era.
Aaron was elected to the Hall in 1982. A 25-time All-Star, he set a record
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