MLB honors Hank Aaron with recreation of record 715th homer during All-Star Game

ATLANTA AP Major League Baseball honored late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron by recreating his record-breaking th home run through the use of projection mapping and pyrotechnics The lights went down at Truist Park and fans stood holding their cell phone lights following the sixth inning of Tuesday night s All-Star Challenge The scene from April at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was projected on the infield and also shown on the video board The high-tech images of Aaron and other players were seen on the Truist Park infield before a blaze of a fireball launched from home plate to signify the homer that pushed Aaron past Babe Ruth s record of homers Aaron s widow Billye Aaron stood and waved as the cheers from the sellout crowd of grew louder NL players warmed up for the contest in batting practice jerseys with Aaron s No on the back One year ago MLB celebrated the th anniversary of Aaron s homer with announcements for a new statue at Baseball s Hall of Fame and a commemorative stamp from the U S Postal Utility Also Commissioner Rob Manfred helped honor Aaron in Atlanta last year by joining the Braves in announcing the endowment of a scholarship at Tuskegee University a historically Black university in Aaron s home state of Alabama Manfred noted the Henry Louis Aaron Fund launched by the Braves following Aaron s death in and the Chasing the Dream Foundation created by Aaron and his wife were designed to clear paths for minorities in baseball and to encourage educational opportunities Aaron hit home runs from - a mark that stood until Barry Bonds reached in during baseball s steroid era Aaron was elected to the Hall in A -time All-Star he set a record with RBIs He continues to hold the records of extra-base hits and total bases