Major League Baseball has presented the Hank Aaron Award to the best offensive players in each league since 1999. The winners are recognized at the World Series.
In 2019, there was some question about whether Aaron would be on hand for the ceremony. He had been using a wheelchair, and traveling from his home in Georgia to Houston could be difficult.
But Aaron arrived before Game 2, and as word spread through Minute Maid Park that he would join the press conference, what is usually a comfortably sized room grew small.
Jose Altuve, in full uniform, popped out of the Astros clubhouse to shake Aaron’s hand. David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, on hand working for Fox, clustered around him like star-struck kids, waiting their turn to share a moment with him.
Is there anybody who didn’t admire Hank Aaron, who died Friday at the age of 86?
It seems impossible not to. At a time when our nation is still wrestling with the stain of racism, Aaron’s undaunted pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974 amid threats to his life remains a profile in courage.
Read an appreciation of Hank Aaron by Peter Abraham at BostonGlobe.com/Sports.
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