page_title: Atlanta Braves
section_title: 1966–1974
hierarchical_section_title: Atlanta Braves / History / Atlanta (1966–present) / 1966–1974
caption_attribution_description: English: Atlanta Braves "away" or "road" jersey worn by Hank Aaron during the 1968 or 1969 MLB season. Jersey is grey in color with blue and red stitched type on front and back. Type on front chest area reads, [Braves]. Type on back reads, [44]. Patch on PR sleeve features an MLB logo with red type that reads, [100th ANNIVERSARY]. Patch on PL sleeve features a caricatured illustration of a Native American's face. Hank Aaron autograph in lower portion of jersey's front. Next to signature are several labels including a Spalding label and a size "40" label. Label with blue ink on inside of neckline reads, [44 40 68].
context_page_description: The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. They compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League East division. The team played its home games at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium from 1966 to 1996, and at Turner Field from 1997 to 2016. Since 2017, their home stadium has been Truist Park, located 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia. The Braves play spring training games at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida.
  The name "Braves", which was first used in 1912, originates from a term for a Native American warrior. They are nicknamed "the Bravos", and often referred to as "America's Team" in reference to the team's games being broadcast on the nationally available TBS from the 1970s until 2007, giving the team a nationwide fan base.
  From 1991 to 2005, the Braves were one of the most successful teams in baseball, winning division titles an unprecedented 14 consecutive times, and producing one of the greatest pitching rotations in the history of baseball. Most notably, this rotation consisted of pitchers Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine.
context_section_description: The Braves were a .500 team in their first few years in Atlanta; 85–77 in 1966, 77–85 in 1967, and 81–81 in 1968. The 1967 season was the Braves' first losing season since 1952, their last year in Boston. In 1969, with the onset of divisional play, the Braves won the first-ever National League West Division title, before being swept by the "Miracle Mets" in the National League Championship Series. They would not be a factor during the next decade, posting only two winning seasons between 1970 and 1981 – in some cases, fielding teams as bad as the worst Boston teams.
  In the meantime, fans had to be satisfied with the achievements of Hank Aaron. In the relatively hitter-friendly confines and higher-than-average altitude of Atlanta Stadium ("The Launching Pad"), he actually increased his offensive production. Atlanta also produced batting champions in Rico Carty (in 1970) and Ralph Garr (in 1974). In the shadow of Aaron's historical home run pursuit, was the fact that three Atlanta sluggers hit 40 or more home runs in 1973 – Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson along with Aaron.
  By the end of the 1973 season, Aaron had hit 713 home runs, one short of Ruth's record. Throughout the winter he received racially motivated death threats, but stood up well under the pressure. The next season, it was only a matter of time before he set a new record. On April 4, opening day, he hit No.714 in Cincinnati, and on April 8, in front of his home fans and a national television audience he finally beat Ruth's mark with a home run to left-center field off left-hander Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aaron spent most of his career as a Milwaukee and Atlanta Brave before asking to be traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, while Ruth finished his career as a Boston Brave. In fact, until Barry Bonds eclipsed the 714 home runs hit by Babe Ruth in 2006, the top two home run hitters in Major League history had at one time been Braves.
caption: An away jersey worn by Hank Aaron in 1968 or 1969.
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