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MLB All-Star Game Featured Epic On-Field Tribute to Hank Aaron's 715th Home Run

A 7/15 tribute to Aaron's 715th career homer.
The Hank Aaron tribute at the MLB All-Star Game was must-see TV.
The Hank Aaron tribute at the MLB All-Star Game was must-see TV. | Screengrab Twitter @MLBONFOX

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Fifty-one years ago, baseball legend Hank Aaron broke what was thought to be an unbreakable record, belting his 715th career home run to surpass iconic Yankees slugger Babe Ruth for the most career long balls in MLB history at the time.

So with the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 15—7/15—it was the perfect time for MLB to tribute the late Aaron's monumental achievement.

And the league couldn't have come up with a cooler tribute.

After the bottom of the sixth inning, the lights went out at Truist Park, and fans were transported back in time to April 8, 1974 in hologram form on the field, which was projected with the original broadcast footage of Aaron's home run.

Words don't do it justice.

Fox announcers Joe Davis and John Smoltz, as well as fans on X, greatly enjoyed the tribute.

Making the tribute even better was the fact that Aaron's widow Billye was there to witness it.

Aaron, who passed away in 2021, is widely regarded as one of the best players to ever step onto a baseball diamond. He ranks in the top-five all-time in home runs, hits, runs scored, RBI and total bases.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.