Tommie Aaron

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1964 Topps baseball card #454

This article is about the baseball player. For the golfer, see Tommy Aaron.

Tommie Lee Aaron (August 5, 1939 – August 16, 1984) was a first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball, and the brother of Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. They were the first siblings to appear together in a League Championship Series as teammates. Born in Mobile, Alabama, he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves on May 28, 1958, at the age of 18. He played for both the Milwaukee Braves (1962-1963, 1965) and the Atlanta Braves (1968-1971).

During the course of his development as a player, Tommie Aaron played for the Richmond Braves of the International League in the mid-1960s, where he was International League MVP in 1967. The Richmond Braves annually award the Tommie Aaron Memorial Award to the player who is the most valuable on the team. After his playing days, he worked for the organization as both a minor league manager (1973-1978) and major league coach (1979-1984). He died of leukemia at age 45 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tommie Aaron was a good-fielding first baseman (.990 in 232 games) and a below-average outfielder (.949 in 138 games). Also, in 17 games at second base and third base, he handled 41 chances without an error (1.000). He was often used as a pinch hitter during his career. He only hit a total of 13 major league home runs, but along with his brother's record 755, together they hold the major league record for the most career home runs between two brothers.

Career highlights include:

homering in the same inning as his brother Hank in a 9th inning come-from-behind victory against the St. Louis Cardinals (July 12, 1962) [1]
two 4-hit games: three doubles and a single vs. the St. Louis Cardinals (May 25, 1962) and a home run, two doubles, and a single vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates (April 26, 1970)
a 9th inning walk-off home run against Ken Holtzman and the Chicago Cubs in front of 24,663 fans at Atlanta Stadium (July 20, 1970)

He finished his career with a lifetime batting average of .229, 13 HR, 94 RBI, and 102 runs scored in 437 ballgames.

QUOTE: "As you know, Tommie (Aaron) is no longer with us. He meant a lot to me. I think if he played with another ballclub, I think he probably would have had a better major league career. The media was always comparing us. I'm sure, by me being successful, it put a lot of pressure on him. He couldn't play up to his potential." - Hank Aaron in The Sporting News (April 8, 1999)