Hank Aaron was a member of the Negro Leagues for three magical months.
When the Indianapolis Clowns saw the then 17 year old Henry Aaron playing for the Mobile Black Bears they were impressed enough to offer him $200 per month to join their team.
The crosshanded hitting shortstop would join the team for the 1952 season. In three months, he would lead the league in hitting with a .467 batting average. He would also lad in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, rbi's and total bases.
In an article from the Undefeated, from the foreword of the book Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players, by Cam Perron with Nick Chiles,
Hank would say in his own words (in part):
"Negro League baseball has been so important to my life. I won’t ever forget the way I felt when I walked on the field for the Clowns — like I was already in the major league. There was nothing else I wanted to be doing. And the Negro Leagues gave me the opportunity to go on to play Major League Baseball. Those months I spent on the Clowns helped me tremendously — not only teaching me how to play the game itself but also showing me that I belonged at that level. I’ll never forget that."
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