RetroSimba

Hank Aaron, baseball’s all-time leader in RBI, was at his run-producing best against the Cardinals.

Aaron is remembered most for hitting 755 home runs and breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time record. Just as impressive, but often overlooked, is that Aaron has more RBI (2,297), more total bases (6,856) and more extra-base hits (1,477) than anyone who played in the majors.

A right-handed batter who played 21 seasons for the Braves and two for the Brewers, Aaron had more career RBI (290) versus the Cardinals than he did against any other foe.

The most RBI Aaron had in a game was six. He did it six times, the last coming against the Cardinals.

Hot hitter

The Cardinals and Braves both were in third place in their divisions entering a game on Aug. 21, 1971, at Atlanta.

Aaron had a troublesome right knee and had been shifted from the outfield to first base to replace Orlando Cepeda, the former Cardinal who was sidelined after having knee surgery.

Though 37, Aaron hit “as if he were 27,” The Sporting News noted. From July 19 to Aug. 15, he had a 22-game hitting streak.

Aaron entered the game against the Cardinals with a batting average for the season of .313. A month earlier, at the All-Star Game, he noticed Willie McCovey was wearing a knee brace. “He said it helped him,” Aaron said, “and his knee is a lot worse than mine.” Aaron started wearing a brace ‘and it has helped a lot,” he told The Sporting News.

Starry night

Steve Carlton was the Cardinals’ starting pitcher in the Saturday night game against the Braves. Carlton was one of six future Hall of Famers who played in that game. The six were Aaron and Tony La Russa for the Braves, and Lou Brock, Joe Torre, Ted Simmons and Carlton for the Cardinals. La Russa and Torre are in the Hall of Fame as managers. The others are in as players.

The Cardinals struck first, scoring three in the fourth. The Braves got a run in the bottom of the inning on Aaron’s RBI-single. They tied the score, 3-3, in the sixth when Aaron hit a Carlton changeup over the wall in left for a two-run home run.

In the seventh, the Braves took charge, scoring five times for an 8-3 lead. The key hit again came from Aaron, who sent a high curve from Carlton over the wall in right for a three-run home run. 

“Anytime you have a night like this against a guy like Carlton you know he’s just making mistakes,” Aaron told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s a guy who has great stuff.”

The Braves went on to an 8-5 victory in a game played in one hour, 59 minutes. Boxscore

Real deal

Aaron’s six RBI gave him a career total of 1,935 and moved him ahead of Ty Cobb for fourth all-time. Cobb was thought to have 1,933 RBI then. Cobb’s total since has been adjusted to 1,944, according to baseball-reference.com. 

The pair of home runs against Carlton put Aaron at 627 for his career. He hit a total of six versus Carlton and his lifetime batting mark against him was .342.

Only the Reds (97) and Dodgers (95) gave up more home runs to Aaron than the Cardinals did (91).

In 354 games versus the Cardinals, Aaron produced 290 RBI and hit .308.

Aaron finished the 1971 season with 47 home runs and 118 RBI. It was his 11th and last season of 100 RBI or more. In 11 games against the Cardinals in 1971, Aaron had 16 RBI and hit .439. His on-base percentage against them that season was .521.

As Braves pitcher George Stone said to the Atlanta Constitution, “That guy is unreal.”