Getting a ‘thanks, kid’ after delivering memento

When Braves reliever Tom House entered the clubhouse April 8, 1974 — the day he would catch Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run — he was surprised by the first person he saw: singer Sammy Davis Jr.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘He’s not very tall,’” House said of the 5-foot-5 Davis. “I’m a short guy (5-11), but I felt like I was a giant.”

Davis, a friend of Aaron’s, was going around the clubhouse telling relievers, “If you catch the ball, I’ll give you $25,000 for it.” Davis wanted to have it for his TV show before giving the ball to the Hall of Fame.

“That was around twice what I was making,” House said. “I mean, basically the minimum was $12,500, so you can do the math.”

House wound up snagging the ball in the bullpen when Aaron homered off Al Downing in the fourth inning. He immediately ran onto the field and gave it to Aaron. House said he received letters and even money from fans expressing gratitude that he didn’t try to leverage the ball.

House, 76, pitched in the majors for eight years (1971-78). He’s had immense post-career success as a coach of throwing mechanics, working with athletes such as Nolan Ryan, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. But he’s best known as the man who caught Aaron’s home run in the bullpen.

“The good news is that’s the highlight of my major league career,” House said. “The bad news is that’s the highlight of my major league career.”

The memory of that day in House’s words: “We had settled ahead of time. I think it’s common knowledge that the bullpen guys all had their territories mapped out behind the left field fence, and we went through a normal, warmup pregame, early hitting in the field. The only difference was there was a lot more noise because the fans, the stands were full, and there was a lot more media activity and star power floating around the clubhouse. That was the setup.

“So I think it was 3-1 fastball away. ‘Crack! Here it comes.’ I look up and you know, everybody says ‘great catch’ and all that. All I know is if I would have stood still, it would have hit right in the forehead. The only distraction was really a fishnet popping right in front of me; some Georgia Tech engineer had a fishnet extension. And as I was starting my run toward home plate,

Bill Buckner was playing left field for the Dodgers that day, and if you look at the film, he climbed the fence and he was late. If he could’ve got there on time, he could’ve caught it. He’s screaming at me, ‘Give it to me, give it to me.’ I’m on my way.

“The next thing I remember is filtering through the crowd at home. It was crazy at home plate. When I finally did get through and hold the ball up to him, he and his mother were hugging. It was one of those Lifesaver moments. They both had tears in their eyes. I got his attention. He took the ball and said, ‘Thanks, kid.’ And I kind of got pushed away in the crowd. It took him a while to get his mother peeled off; she was hanging on tight.”

House said it will “forever be with me.” What that means to him:

“The people I got to associate with because of my relationship with Henry — I was a low-end guy. You know, 25-man roster, I was always 23, 24, 25. To be involved with Henry, in his bubble, was awesome. If you look at my career, it was marginal, marginal, marginal. In 1974, I was really, really good (1.93 ERA in 56 appearances). I put up some great numbers; that was really my only really good year in the big leagues. I’m convinced that part of it was the comfort zone and the warm fuzzies I felt being involved with Henry Aaron.”

House remembers when Aaron had to stop riding the team bus and use different entrances because of threats as he chased the record in 1973. He also remembers being amazed by Aaron’s consistency and calmness. He even felt Aaron’s on-field greatness was quiet at times: “When you play with Henry, you didn’t realize how productive he was until the game was over.”

As for the person and teammate, House speaks glowingly of how Aaron treated others. When Aaron had a partnership with Magnavox, he asked them to give House an entertainment system. Aaron was there when it was delivered. House, at the time, was sleeping on a blow-up mattress and that entertainment system was the only “furniture” he had in the apartment.

“I was almost an afterthought on the roster,” House said. “But if I could impart one thing, (Aaron) treated guys like me just like Eddie Mathews and guys he was in the Hall of Fame with. That’s unusual in any occupation, let alone baseball . ... The fact that he reached out and connected with me, just like you do with superstars in this atmosphere, was special. That’s why he’ll always have a place in my heart.”

were quite a few happy people that he broke the record. I always thought that was good for baseball because records were meant to be broken, and I always thought that Henry Aaron was able to do it. It was a blessing from God for me, Dusty Baker and the Braves to be a part of that.”

Garr’s only All-Star appearance came that season, which was his and Aaron’s final campaign in Atlanta. It means everything to have been Aaron’s teammate, Garr said, and when people ask if he wishes he were playing today, he notes, “I wouldn’t take nothing for the opportunity of playing with Henry Aaron.”

“He was a wonderful human to watch play the game of baseball,” said Garr, 78. He played the game the way it was supposed to be played, and he was an excellent teammate and an even better human being. Henry Aaron was special. I thank God for him breaking that record and all he’s done for the game of baseball.”

Garr described Aaron as “quiet, mild-mannered” and praised him for consistently being the same person every day even as madness sometimes surrounded him.

“All I can say: God knew what he was doing when he chose Hank Aaron to break Babe Ruth’s record,” Garr said. “That’s what he did. I think God was proud of the way he handled the situation. It’s just a blessing to have watched him play every day and see him break the record. For me to watch him do that — there wasn’t any drama with Henry Aaron’s baseball life as far as his teammates were concerned. He was able to — when he got to the ballpark and came in the clubhouse, he’d leave all of his problems and baggage at the door. He’d come in and play baseball . ... I thank God to be in a position to be on the Braves’ team when he broke the record. It was a wonderful feat and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

AP 1974 Tom House (right, in glasses) has the record-setting home run ball in his left hand to give to Hank Aaron, who is being embraced by his mother, Estella, at home plate. Aaron’s father, Herbert, is on the left trying to hold on to his hat.