On Apr. 8, 1974, Hank Aaron blasted a homer to left centerfield that at that point made him the all-time Major League Home Run hitter with 715. It was most certainly the highlight of his career.
Unfortunately, it was the highlight of Tom House’s career as well.
Who is Tom House?
While at this point he is a pitching guru that helps others perfect their craft, but at that point he was a left-handed reliever for the Atlanta Braves. The members of the Braves bullpen had staked out territory between the outfield fence and the stands that they would cover on that historic night and it just so happened that Aaron hit it right to him, with House catching the ball in the air.
He later returned it to Aaron, despite offers to purchase (more than his annual salary actually) the record-setting ball.
He has publicly admitted that it was the biggest moment in his Major League career. House was a solid left-handed reliever posting a 6-2 record and 11 saves with a. 1.93 ERA in 56 games in 1974 and saving 11 more games and earning seven wins in 58 games in 1975. But his claim to fame will always be the ball caught, not any of those he pitched.
While House won’t ever make the Hall of Fame, he did make my list of All-Time favorite Braves, coming in at No. 20.
In the previous two columns I began naming my 100 all-time Atlanta Brave favorites. Today I will begin with House at No. 20 and work my way up to No. 11.
— No. 19 is Steve Avery. I honestly thought this left-handed phenom would eventually win a Cy Young. Three of his Braves pitching mates — Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine — all are enshrined in Cooperstown but arm ailments cut Avery’s career short. At the age of 21 the tall lefty recorded an 18-8 record for the Braves, and went 18-6 with a 2.94 ERA in 1993, but he only had two more double-digit win seasons in his career. But I still see him as part of the “Big Four” of the 1990s.
— No. 18 is Ian Anderson. His Braves’ career has just begun but what the big right-handed pitcher did last season with his work in key games made him one of my favorites in a hurry. If he continues to improve and can stay away from serious injuries he has the potential to climb on this list.
— No. 17 belongs to Terry Pendleton. He made his name as a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, but in 1991 he became an Atlanta Brave and promptly led them to the World Series, while claiming Most Valuable Player honors for the National League. He led
