Weeks away from the 50th anniversary of 715, the Braves' winning pitcher takes us to home plate that night

 

“What a marvelous moment for the country and the world.” - Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully on Hank Aaron’s 715
 

We are a little more than six weeks away from the 50th anniversary of 715. 

April 8, 1974, Atlanta Braves' immortal Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth to become baseball’s all-time, home run champion. 

The sell-out crowd of 53,775 included Governor Jimmy Carter, Mayor Maynard Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr and Aaron's parents - all packing into Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to watch the Braves legend break the most famous record in American sport.

It was a cold north Georgia night of tornado warnings for the Braves and the Dodgers.

Pearl Bailey sang our National Anthem. 

Al Downing would start for Los Angeles and Ron Reed for Atlanta. 

714 had been hit four days earlier in Cincinnati, on opening day.

“I was in the stands for that game,” Reed's wife Julie told me. "There was crazy excitement from everyone.”

Ron Reed was the winning pitcher that night. The 6’6" two-sport athlete is one of only 13 men to play in both Major League Baseball and the NBA (Detroit Pistons). He pitched 19 seasons in MLB, for mostly the Braves (1966-1975) and Phillies (1980 World Champions). A native of LaPorte, Indiana, he attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship.

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Ron Reed pitched 19 seasons in MLB, for mostly the Braves (1966-1975) and Phillies (1980 World Champions). A native of LaPorte, Indiana, he attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship.

The Reeds of Lilburn are celebrating their 53rd year of marriage. Mr. Reed is now 81. We chatted Tuesday of this week about Mr. Aaron and 715. 

Hullinger: You were the starting and winning pitcher on one of the most momentous nights in Atlanta history and 20th Century America. The moment has only grown in importance as the years have passed.

Reed: It has become bigger, more important than it was 5 years or 10 years, 15 years after 715. I’ve been approached by many as the anniversary nears; including an author [Randy Cox] who has written “715 at 50.” I never thought 40 or 50 years later, I would still be talking about this event and my role in it. 

Hullinger: Do you remember the hours before the game? How you prepared? How Hank got himself ready?

Reed: I don’t remember a lot in the lead-up to the game. Everyone on the roster was aware. We were all focused, concentrating on what would be an extraordinary night. When I started, I always liked to get to the ballpark early and run. Baseball is about routine. Hank would take batting practice in his sleeveless windbreaker and he, of course, had to deal with the writers and the press. It was all business.

Hullinger: Because baseball is such a long season - 164 regular season games, more than any other athletes -  baseball players are defined by routine. Did that help deal with the pressure of the night?

Reed: That’s right, baseball is like that. It's a long regular season with many ordinary games - but with moments of getting ready for The Big Red Machine (Cincinnati); or in early 1974, 715.

Hullinger: You were a teammate of Hank Aaron for a long time. Seven years. All these years later, what was that like?

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"We were all focused, concentrating on what would be an extraordinary night. When I started, I always liked to get to the ballpark early and run. Baseball is about routine."

Reed: I watched him play every day. It was a gift. A treat. Icing on the cake of my career. A great memory, and a great teammate. He never talked about himself. You would never know about his ability, because he was quiet and cool. His talent was so great. A supportive teammate too. Hank would have been a superstar in any era, present or past.

Hullinger: What was it like in the Braves Clubhouse with Hank?

Reed: His best friends on the team were Dusty Baker and Ralph Garr. They would pull up chairs around their lockers and tell baseball stories. Many stories. Before long, there would be five or seven of us gathering around to listen. It was a great joy for me and the other players. 

Hullinger: This will be the first big anniversary without Hank. It’s still hard to think of him gone. He was such a presence in this city for decades; a symbol of Atlanta and the South.

Reed: Yes and he was always available over the years. I worked for a marketing company that was raising money for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Atlanta. I would meet him at his automobile dealership, he would hug me and sign some memorabilia.

Hullinger: On 715 night (April 8, 1974) did you notice more intensity from Hank? Maybe some nerves?

Reed: Never nervous. Always about his business. He was like that.

Hullinger: So when Hank hits 715, and he is rounding the bases at Atlanta stadium, making his way home, where were you?

Reed: You can see me at home plate, I’m the 6’6" figure hugging him. It was the only time I could get close after 715. It was such a special moment - and to be the winning pitcher the night Hank broke the record of the Babe! 

“A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron, who was met at home plate, not only by every member of the Braves, but by his father and mother.” -Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully

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"It was such a special moment - and to be the winning pitcher the night Hank broke the record of the Babe!"