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MLB World Hails “The True GOAT” Hank Aaron on His 89th Birth Anniversary

Published 02/06/2023, 6:59 AM EST

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Apart from October, February is the other month that is most exciting for baseball fans. And why not? Apart from ballplayers getting back to the ballparks, the MLB community celebrates the birth anniversary of an iconic slugger, who changed the course of the game with his remarkable talent. For those unversed, Hank Aaron, the iconic right fielder, is among only four people in MLB history to have hit more than 700 homers.

Considered among some of the best players in baseball history, Aaron is often ranked with the likes of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. After all, he broke a long-held record by Ruth when he hit his 715th homer. Elected into the Hall of Fame right in his first year of eligibility, there truly aren’t many players who deserve more recognition this month.

And the baseball world is rightly honoring him on his birthday.

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Baseball Twitter calls Hank Aaron the GOAT among GOATs

Being called a GOAT, aka greatest of all time, may not be much of an achievement in today’s world of social media slang. But if there is anyone who deserves that title, it’s the Hammer. MLB officially celebrated what would have been the former Braves’ eighty-ninth birthday. And the post received an outpouring of love from fans, calling him their Home Run King.

Hammerin’ Hank received his nickname for his power-hitting ability but he still preferred to be called by his given name, Henry. He passed away on 22nd January 2021.

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Other legendary Black players were born in February

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In addition to Lincoln, scholar Carter G. Woodson chose February as BHM because of another African-American abolitionist. Writer and orator Frederick Douglass, who didn’t know his birth date, chose Feb. 14. to commemorate the day. And MLB history is ripe with big names like Monte Irvin, Paul Blair, and Elston Howard among others who were born this month.

READ MORE – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Becomes Youngest Hank Aaron Award Winner With These Crazy 2021 Stats

All these players broke the racial barrier in a time that was still not ready to receive Black people with open arms. Not only that, Blair helped the Baltimore Orioles win the World Series four times. Irvin mentored the Giants legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays. Howard was the first Black player on the Yankees roster.

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If we look for it deeply enough, baseball culture has always been affected by African-American players, who deserve their recognition much like anyone else.

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Written by:

Arunima Bhanot

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Arunima Bhanot is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. Having earned an English literature degree from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Arunima has always been interested in writing. She's a fan of archery and was the captain of her college team for two years running. She's an avid reader who also loves photography and travel, and you can find her talking constantly about books and anime on her Instagram!
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar