HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

by Joanna Korba ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Paul Casale PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Associated Press. 3 MLB Photos via Getty Images. 7 Bettmann/CORBIS. 8 National Baseball Hall of Fame Library/MLB Photos via Getty Images. 10 (t) Bettmann/CORBIS. (c) Bettmann/ CORBIS. (b) Associated Press. 11 MLB Photos via Getty Images. 12 Artville. 13 Getty Images. 14 Associated Press. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Printed in China ISBN-10: 0-547-25352-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-547-25352-7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

Early Years In a tiny yard in Mobile, Alabama, a skinny seven-year-old boy tossed a bottle cap into the air. He swung his broom-handle bat. He had to be fast to hit the cap before it fell to the ground. The boy s name was Henry Aaron, but his friends called him Hank. (Like most nicknames, Hank was shorter to pronounce.) Hank would grow up to be one of the greatest home-run hitters of all time. 2

Back then young Hank was probably dreaming about being a star in the Negro Leagues. It was 1941. At that time black players were not allowed to play in baseball s major leagues. Black ball players had a league of their own. But in 1947, a black baseball player named Jackie Robinson changed all that. Soon, black players became stars on major-league teams. Jackie Robinson was the first black player in major-league baseball. 3

Hank Gets Noticed By the time Hank was seventeen, he was swinging the bat fast and hard. One night, a scout saw Hank play in a neighborhood game. The scout was looking for good players who had the talent to play for the Negro Leagues. Hank slammed a towering home run out of the park. The scout liked what he saw. He asked Hank to play in the Negro Leagues. 4

Hank joined a Negro League team in Indiana. He played so well that major-league ball clubs heard about him. In June of 1952, he agreed to play for a major-league team in Boston called the Braves. 5

Hank didn t play for the Braves top team right away. Every major-league baseball team has minor-league farm teams. Players on farm teams spend time improving their skills. If they re good enough, these minor-league players get called to play on the major-league team. Just two years later, in 1954, the Braves called Hank to join them. 6 Hank played for a number of minor-league teams before joining the Braves.

The Major-League Years By this time, the Braves were playing in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee fans filled the stands for nearly every game. They were the best fans in baseball. Hank never disappointed them. The first time he came to bat for the Braves, he slammed a home run. Hank was a great hitter in Milwaukee. 7

8 He played harder than any other player. His efforts paid off. Hank won many awards for his hitting and his fielding.

The Home-Run Record Hank was a hero off the field, too. He often spoke out against racism. Back then, major-league teams had two sets of rules one set for white players and one set for black players. Hank knew this wasn t fair, and he said so. Over the years, these rules changed. Hank s words had helped make a difference. Hank spoke out against racism. 9

10 In 1966, the Braves moved again, this time to Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta ballpark was the best place to hit home runs in the majors. People said that the warm climate in Atlanta made the ball go really far. Hank changed his batting style to take advantage of the new ball park. His new hitting style worked, and his home runs piled up fast... 200, 300, 400, 500, 600. In 1972, he hit home run number 649. Only one player in baseball history had hit more home runs Babe Ruth.

Babe Ruth was baseball s first home-run king. The Babe was the most popular baseball hero of all time. When he stopped playing, in 1935, he had hit 714 career home runs. It was the most famous record in baseball. People started to wonder: Could Hank break the Babe s record? 11

12 Some fans didn t want the Babe s record broken by a black player. They wrote hateful letters to Hank. Hank tried to ignore them. Finally, he told some sports writers about the letters. Then something amazing happened. People began sending letters of encouragement to Hank. Thousands of school kids from all over America wrote to cheer him on.

Hank hits the home run that broke Babe Ruth s record. Number 715 April 8, 1974, was a rainy night in Atlanta. The stands were packed with fans. Hank came to bat for the second time. He slammed the second pitch out of the park for his 715th home run. He had broken Babe Ruth s record. When Hank touched home plate to score, he was mobbed by his screaming teammates. Hank was baseball s new home-run king! 13

14 A Community Hero Hank ended his playing days in 1976. After he left baseball, he wasn t one to sit around and polish his trophies. Hank wanted to help children. He was especially interested in helping less fortunate children get a chance for a good education. Hank proved that it was just as important to be a hero in his community as it was to be a hero on the baseball field. Hank was not just a home-run hero. He was a community hero, too. You are the future of this country, he told a group of kids in 2003. Please, whatever you do, don t follow... lead!

Responding TARGET SKILL Cause and Effect Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run in April, 1974. This caused other things to happen for him. Copy the chart below. Write what happened. Cause Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run in April, 1974. Effect He broke Babe Ruth s record for home runs.? Write About It Text to Self One of the biggest days in Hank s life was when he broke the home-run record. Write a paragraph about a big day in your life. Tell what you did that caused other things to happen. 15

TARGET VOCABULARY fans league polish pronounce score slammed stands style TARGET SKILL Cause and Effect Tell how one event makes another happen and why. TARGET STRATEGY Visualize As you read, use selection details to picture what is happening. GENRE A biography tells about events in a person s life, written by another person. 16

Level: O DRA: 38 Genre: Biography Strategy: Visualize Skill: Cause and Effect Word Count: 856 3.1.5 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books 1253779