DENVER - Hank Aaron is being celebrated at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as if it was in Atlanta.
Coaches, pitchers and position players, wore uniforms with No. 44 during workouts at Coors Field on Monday in honor of the Hall of Famer and Braves legend who died in January. The uniforms were donned prior to the All-Star Game Tuesday.
Players even posed in the uniforms for team photos. They wore their usual team uniforms with 44 replacing their usual number (example: Max Scherzer wore his standard Washington uniform, it just featured No. 44 on the back instead of No. 31).
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and second baseman Ozzie Albies, the team’s two representatives in Denver, took photos together on the field in their No. 44 Braves jerseys. The Braves are one of the more popular teams that fans have represented in Colorado, with outfielder Ronald Acuna’s jersey the most prevalent Braves item. Acuna is missing the game due to injury.
The All-Star Game was to be held in Atlanta with a celebration of Aaron a significant part of the festivities. However, MLB moved the game to Denver in April after a new voting bill passed in Georgia. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred promised Aaron’s memory would still be an important part of the week, saying in a statement: “We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities.”
All season, the field at Truist Park has featured a giant 44 in the outfield.
