Hank Aaron Hits His 755th and Final Career Home Run

On July 20, 1976, Hank Aaron hit a solo home run off California Angels reliever Dick Drago in the seventh inning at Milwaukee County Stadium, driving the ball over the left-field fence in a 6-2 Brewers victory. It was the 755th home run of his career and, as it turned out, the last.

Only 10,134 fans were in the stands that night, a modest crowd for one of the most significant swings in baseball history. Aaron was 42 years old and in the final season of a two-year return to Milwaukee, the city where he had spent his prime years with the Braves from 1954 through 1965. He had been traded back from the Atlanta Braves to the Brewers before the 1975 season, serving primarily as a designated hitter.

Aaron had broken Babe Ruth's all-time home run record of 714 on April 8, 1974, connecting off Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. That moment was witnessed by a national television audience and a packed house of 53,775. The chase had been accompanied by death threats and racist hate mail, which Aaron endured with a quiet dignity that only deepened the weight of his accomplishment.

By the time he reached number 755, Aaron had slowed considerably. He hit 12 home runs in 1975 and managed just 10 in 1976 before retiring at season's end. His career totals were staggering beyond the home run record. He drove in 2,297 runs, the most in history. He collected 3,771 hits, scored 2,174 runs, and earned a lifetime batting average of .305. He was a 25-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, and the 1957 National League Most Valuable Player.

The 755 mark stood as the all-time record for 31 years, until Barry Bonds passed it in August 2007. Aaron died on January 22, 2021, at age 86. His final home run, hit on a warm July night in Milwaukee in front of a small crowd, closed the book on the most prolific power-hitting career the game had seen.