1974 Atlanta Braves season

The 1974 Atlanta Braves season was a season in American baseball. The team finished third in the National League West with a record of 88-74, 14 games behind the Cincinnati Reds. During the season, Braves outfielder Hank Aaron became the all-time career leader in home runs, surpassing Babe Ruth.

Offseason

Waiting for a new home run king

At the end of the 1973 season, Aaron had finished one home run short of the record. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season, many expected him to tie the record. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (led by manager Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to hit one out of the park.^[1]

Over the winter, Aaron received many death threats and a large assortment of hate mail. Many did not want to see a black man break Ruth's nearly sacrosanct home run record.^[2] Lewis Grizzard, then editor of the Atlanta Journal, prepared for the massive coverage of the home run record. Secretly though, he quietly had an obituary written, scared that Aaron might be murdered.^[3]

Sports Illustrated pointedly summarized the racist vitriol that Aaron was forced to endure:

"Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport...? Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron, the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball's attic?"^[4]

Babe Ruth's widow, Claire Hodgson, even denounced the racism and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record.^[5]

Notable transactions

• January 9, 1974: Mike Davey was drafted by the Braves in the 2nd round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft (Secondary Phase).^[6]
• March 26, 1974: Buzz Capra was purchased by the Braves from the New York Mets.^[7]

Regular season

Hank Aaron's 715th

The fence over which Hank Aaron hit the home run still exists outside of Turner Field

As the 1974 season began, the Braves opened the season on the road with a three game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta. The plan was to have Aaron sit for said games against the Reds. Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two games in the first series. He played two out of three, tying Babe Ruth's record in his very first at bat off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but failed to hit another home run in the series.^[8]

The team returned to Atlanta for a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. On April 8, 1974, a crowd of 53,775 people showed up for the game — a Braves attendance record. Sammy Davis, Jr. was in attendance, and Pearl Bailey, sang the national anthem in Broadway soul. Atlanta's black mayor, Maynard Jackson, and Governor Jimmy Carter attended the game.^[9]

Dodgers pitcher Al Downing had walked Aaron leading off the second inning to the accompaniment of continuous booing by the fans. Aaron then scored on a Dodger error, and the run broke Willie Mays' all time National League record for runs scored with 2,063.^[9] In the 4th inning, Aaron hit career home run number 715 off Downing. Although Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner nearly went over the outfield wall trying to catch it, the ball landed in the Braves bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it. Two white college students sprinted onto the field and jogged alongside Aaron as he circled the base paths. As the fans cheered wildly, Aaron's mother ran onto the field as well.

Season standings

Opening Day starters

• Hank Aaron
• Dusty Baker
• Vic Correll
• Darrell Evans
• Ralph Garr
• Davey Johnson
• Mike Lum
• Ron Reed
• Craig Robinson

Notable transactions

• June 5, 1974: Dale Murphy was drafted by the Braves in the 1st round (5th pick) of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft.^[10]
• June 12, 1974: Dave Campbell was signed as an amateur free agent by the Braves.^[11]

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Awards and honors

All-Stars

1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Hank Aaron, right field, starter
• Buzz Capra, reserve
• Ralph Garr, reserve

Farm system

Notes

References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3. 
• 1974 Atlanta Braves team page at Baseball Reference
• 1974 Atlanta Braves team page at www.baseball-almanac.com