The world lost another great baseball star late last week with Henry Louis Aaron (Hank) passing at the age of 86. Listin Diario reports that his passing was particularly felt in the small border town of Pedernales, in southwestern Dominican Republic.
The year when Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing home run record (714) and set a lifetime Major League record of 755 runs, he visited the Dominican Republic. He had accepted an invitation of the Alcoa Company that mined bauxite in the area and had their own airport.
The reason for the visit was for Aaron to see the first Little League teams in the Dominican Republic, and the first Little League baseball field. “Hammerin’ Hank” took pictures with the kids, the public, and of course, with the local provincial governor and the Alcoa public relations chief, Victor Rafael Garcia, who organized the 14-team league and translated the Little League Rule Book into Spanish. These rules were used throughout the country as Little Leagues sprouted all over.
The visit was chronicled by the biggest names in Dominican sportswriters: Felix Acosta Nuñez and Cuqui Cordova. A young player was even signed by the Braves and played in the United States. This is why the passing of Henry (Hank) Aaron is especially felt by this small town in the “Deep South” of the Dominican Republic.
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Listin Diario
25 January 2021