Hank Aaron’s Home Run in Spring Training
One of the great parts of being a legend is that over time the legend grows. Most baseball fans have heard about Babe Ruth calling his shot. The Babe’s legend is what makes the story so compelling. It doesn’t really matter if the story is true. It could be true and that’s enough. There’s a story about Hank Aaron’s first home run in Spring Training. It’s not as well known as the story about Babe Ruth, but I’ve heard it a few times.
The story goes like something like this… Hank Aaron got his big chance because the Milwaukee Braves starting left fielder, Bobby Thomson had recently broken his ankle. During the game against the Boston Red Sox, Aaron hit his first home run 450 feet. Ted Williams immediately noticed and told some nearby reporters write down Aaron’s name “and remember it. You’ll be hearing that name often.”
What’s not to love about this story? Hank Aaron takes advantage of Thomson’s misfortune and the legendary Ted Williams is there to witness it. It’s a shame that most of the tale isn’t true.
There’s some element of truth in the story. Hank Aaron did hit his first home run in Spring Training at Payne Park in Sarasota. It came against Ben Flowers of the the Red Sox on March 10, 1954. However, the home run happened three days before Bobby Thomson broke his ankle. The injury led to Aaron starting the season in left field. As for Ted Williams, he had broken his collarbone on March 1, and was in a Boston hospital on March 10.
A few years ago on the 60th anniversary of the home run I tried to find the spot where Hank hit that home run. Payne Park was destroyed in 1990 to make the way for a new ballpark in a different part of town. The old ballpark was replaced with a city park with the same name.
The spot where home plate used to sit is inaccessible by the public. A tennis club now sits where the infield existed, but I was able to get into the club to get this picture from the spot where Hank Aaron hit his first home run.
Over the 66 year history of Payne Park, it was the Spring Training home of the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox. Hank Aaron’s first home run in Spring Training is a should be a big piece of baseball’s history, but the 60th anniversary passed largely unnoticed. Maybe it’s because his home run record was passed or maybe that’s the nature of time. The old park doesn’t exist anymore and most people have forgotten Payne Park.
