June 8, 1966: Henry Aaron’s two homers, six RBIs power Braves past Mets

Henry Aaron hit 44 home runs in his first season as an Atlanta Brave. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

The Braves began their first season of play in Atlanta in 1966 after moving south from Milwaukee, the city they had called home from 1953 until 1965. The team featured a number of strong hitters, including catcher-first baseman Joe Torre, third baseman Eddie Mathews, and outfielder Felipe Alou. But the clear focal point of the lineup was outfielder Henry Aaron, the 1957 National League MVP who averaged 33 home runs and 109 RBIs per season during his 12 full seasons in Milwaukee.

Aaron arrived in Atlanta a 32-year-old veteran, yet remained, along with Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, one of the best-hitting outfielders in the National League, slashing .318/.379/.560 with 32 home runs and 89 RBIs in 1965.

The Braves started 1966 expecting to contend for the pennant. Before the opener against Pittsburgh, Braves skipper Bobby Bragan told reporters he thought the National League race would “be between [Atlanta] and Cincinnati going down to the wire.”1 Bragan proved wildly optimistic. The Braves lost the opener on a Willie Stargell two-run home run in the 13th inning that set the tone for a disappointing start, bottoming out at 20-30 on June 3.

But Atlanta entered a three-game series in early June against the Mets on a three-game winning streak. Aaron, for his part, opened the series slashing .279/.363/.609 with 18 home runs and 40 RBIs. The 18 home runs included the 400th of his career, hit on April 20, 1966, off the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bo Belinsky at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia.

Following the Braves’ fourth straight victory in the series opener, the teams got together for the middle game on Wednesday, June 8. The Mets started Jack Fisher, a right-hander who had thrown the first official pitch at Shea Stadium in 1964. Atlanta countered with Hank Fischer, who entered the game with a 3.60 ERA in 45 innings. It turned out to be Fischer’s last start for the Braves; he was traded to Cincinnati on June 15.

After Jack Fisher retired Mathews and shortstop Woody Woodward to open the game, he faced Aaron with two out. Fisher had Aaron down 1-and-2 but made a mistake that Aaron hit about 400 feet to left-center for his 19th home run of the season, making it 1-0, Atlanta.

In the third, Braves second baseman Félix Millán led off with a single to left. After Hank Fischer popped out to Mets first baseman Dick Stuart on a bunt attempt, Mathews caromed a ball off pitcher Fisher’s leg for a single and Woodward walked on four pitches to load the bases for Aaron. Aaron crushed Fisher’s second offering for the 10th grand slam of his career and gave the Braves a 5-0 advantage.

Hank Fischer held the Mets hitless through three innings, only for the Mets’ bats to wake up in the fourth. Cleon Jones singled to center, Ken Boyer lined a base hit to left, and Al Luplow doubled to left to score Jones. With runners on second and third, Stuart kept the rally going with a two-run single to left that made the score 5-3. Bragan went to the bullpen for lefty Billy O’Dell, who retired the Mets without further damage.

The Braves got one back in the top of the fifth when Aaron doubled in Woodward for his sixth RBI of the game. That made it 6-3. The Mets immediately responded in the bottom half. Larry Bearnarth, who relieved Jack Fisher in the top of the fourth, led off with a double and O’Dell walked second baseman Ron Hunt to bring in left fielder Ed Kranepool. Kranepool, an All-Star in 1965 at age 20, singled to score Bearnarth, which prompted Bragan to relieve O’Dell with Clay Carroll.

Cleon Jones greeted Carroll with a single to score Hunt and make the score 6-5. With nobody out, Carroll walked Boyer to load the bases, bringing up Luplow. Luplow hit a “sinking liner” to center fielder Mack Jones, who had recently recovered from a shoulder operation.2 Yet Kranepool did not tag up, much to the chagrin of his manager, Wes Westrum, who told reporters that Mets third-base coach Whitey Herzog “had just gotten through telling him to tag up on a fly ball.”3 Kranepool’s mistake was only amplified when Carroll induced the next batter to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Mack Jones’s homer in the seventh made it 7-5 Atlanta. Carroll cruised through three innings until pinch-hitter Chuck Hiller homered to open the bottom of the ninth and bring the Mets within one. Hiller’s blast ended Carroll’s night. Submariner Ted Abernathy came in for Atlanta and set down three Mets in order to give the Braves their fifth straight victory.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Aaron tried to explain his incredible start, which as the newspaper coverage of the game noted, had Aaron ahead of Hack Wilson’s pace when Wilson set the National League record of 56 home runs in 1930. “It’s just one of those things I can’t explain,” Aaron said. “It’s just like in 1959. At this time that year I was hitting over .400 and everybody was saying I was going to hit .400 for the season but I didn’t”4 He continued, “I don’t know why I got off to that kind of start that year and I don’t know why this year … except maybe I’m heavier this year. I weigh about 183 to 185 now and that’s about five pounds more than I weighed last season and I feel stronger and better.”5 Aaron also spoke about his new goal for 1966: “I’d like to hit 50 home runs, and I’ll have to admit this is the best start I’ve ever had at it.”6 Aaron settled for 44 home runs. Despite his usual steady brilliance, the Braves once again did not vie for the pennant. Atlanta finished the 1966 campaign with an 85-77 record, 10 games behind the Dodgers, but well ahead of the Mets, who finished 66-95. Neither the Braves nor the Mets experienced much on-field success until 1969, when both teams claimed their respective divisions and matched up in the first-ever National League Championship Series. In what turned out to be Aaron’s postseason swan song, the “Miracle Mets” swept the Braves en route to their first World Series title.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play. He also reviewed coverage in the Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Journal, and New York Times.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN196606080.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B06080NYN1966.htm

NOTES

1  Wayne Minshew, “50,000 to View Braves Debut,” Atlanta Constitution, April 12, 1966: 44.

2  Leonard Koppett, “Braves Beat Mets, 7-6, as Aaron bats in six runs; Indians Top Yanks 2-1,” New York Times, June 9, 1966: 60.

3  Wilt Browning, “Braves Nail Down Mets With Aaron’s Hammer,” Atlanta Journal, June 9, 1966: 69.

4  Aaron kept his batting average above .400 for the first 60 games in 1959. He ended up hitting .355.

5  Wilt Browning, “Hank Wants 50 Homers,” Atlanta Journal, June 9, 1967: 77.

6  “Hank wants 50 Homers.”