Fifty years ago today, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves surpassed the most famous record in baseball — Babe Ruth’s career mark of 714 home runs.

The Mobile native hit his 715th Major League home run on April 8, 1974, in a National League game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aaron sent a pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Al Downing over the fence in left-center field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for the milestone homer.

When Aaron hit the record-breaking home run, four of the top 19 home run hitters in history had Alabama baseball roots. Aaron learned the game on the sandlots in his hometown, Willie Mays came out of the milltowns around Birmingham and apprenticed with the Birmingham Black Barons, Willie McCovey was an alumnus of Central High School in Mobile and Billy Williams also was a Port City product from Mobile County Training School.

Aaron hit 40 more home runs in his career and reigned as baseball’s home run king until Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run on Aug. 7, 2007. Aaron currently ranks second in home runs.

Third with 660 home runs when Aaron passed Ruth, Mays now ranks sixth on baseball’s home run list.

McCovey had 413 home runs when Aaron hit No. 715. McCovey had 108 homers still to come and climbed as high as eighth. Today, his 521 home runs are tied for 20th in baseball history.

Williams had 376 home runs when Aaron hit No. 715. That was 19th in baseball history at the time. Williams hit 50 more home runs before retiring. Today he ranks 52nd in baseball history in the stat.

Since the heyday of those players, Auburn alumnus Frank Thomas has been the state’s heaviest home run hitter. He’s tied with McCovey and Ted Williams for 20th in baseball history.

Among the players who’ve reached the Major Leagues from Alabama colleges, high schools, industrial leagues and sandlots, one has hit at least 700 home runs, two have hit at least 600 home runs, four have hit at least 500 home runs, five have hit at least 400 home runs, seven have hit at least 300 home runs, 13 have hit at least 200 home runs and 28 have hit at least 100 home runs.

Since Aaron hit his 715th home run, 14 players with Alabama baseball roots have joined the state’s 100 MLB home run list, including one who played his entire career before Aaron reached the big leagues.

In 2020, Major League Baseball officially recognized certain seasons from seven of the circuits that became collectively known as the Negro Leagues in the days of segregated baseball as Major League-quality. While the effort to incorporate the Negro League statistics into the MLB record book is ongoing, the research effort that led to the declaration showed Mule Suttles had hit 180 home runs in games now considered to be Major League contests putting another 100-home hitter onto the ledger.

The active home run leader among players with Alabama baseball roots is Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson. The former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa standout has 98 MLB home runs.

A rundown of the players with Alabama baseball roots who have hit at least 100 MLB home runs (the list does not include players who were born in Alabama but moved from the state before their formative years, so George Foster, Rudy York, Andre Thornton, Alex Rios, Willie Kirkland, Monte Irvin, Delmon Young and Ollie Brown are not listed):

Right fielder Hank Aaron: 755 home runs

Mobile: Milwaukee Braves1954-1965, Atlanta Braves 1966-1974, Milwaukee Brewers 1976-1976. Aaron is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Center fielder Willie Mays: 660 home runs

Fairfield Industrial High School: New York Giants 1951-1952, 1954-1957, San Francisco Giants 1958-1972, New York Mets 1972-1973. Mays is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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First baseman Willie McCovey: 521 home runs

Central High School in Mobile: San Francisco Giants 1959-1973, 1977-1980, San Diego Padres 1974-1976, Oakland Athletics 1976. McCovey is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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First baseman Frank Thomas: 521 home runs

Auburn: Chicago White Sox 1990-2005, Oakland Athletics 2006, 2008, Toronto Blue Jays 2007-2008. Thomas is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Left fielder Billy Williams: 426 home runs

Mobile County Training School: Chicago Cubs 1959-1974, Oakland Athletics 1975-1976. Williams is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Left fielder Luis Gonzalez: 354 home runs

South Alabama: Houston Astros 1990-1995, 1997, Chicago Cubs 1995-1996, Detroit Tigers 1998, Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2006, Los Angeles Dodgers 2007, Florida Marlins 2008.

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First baseman Lee May: 354 home runs

Parker High School in Birmingham: Cincinnati Reds 1965-1971, Houston Astros 1972-1974, Baltimore Orioles 1975-1980, Kansas City Royals 1981-1982.

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Third baseman Josh Donaldson: 279 home runs

Faith Academy in Mobile, Auburn: Oakland Athletics, 2010, 2012-2014, Toronto Blue Jays 2015-2018, Cleveland Indians 2018, Atlanta Braves 2019, Minnesota Twins 2020-2021, New York Yankees 2022-2023.

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Catcher Jorge Posada: 275 home runs

Calhoun Community College: New York Yankees 1995-2011.

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Left fielder Leon Wagner: 211 home runs

Tuskegee: San Francisco Giants 1958-1959, 1969, St. Louis Cardinals 1960, Los Angeles Angels 1961-1963, Cleveland Indians 1964-1968, Chicago White Sox 1968.

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Right fielder Oscar Gamble: 200 home runs

Carver High School in Montgomery: Chicago Cubs 1969, Philadelphia Phillies 1970-1972, Cleveland Indians 1973-1975, New York Yankees 1976, 1979-1984, Chicago White Sox 1977, 1985, San Diego Padres 1978, Texas Rangers 1979.

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First baseman Adam Lind: 200 home runs

South Alabama: Toronto Blue Jays 2006-2014, Milwaukee Brewers 2015, Seattle Mariners 2016, Washington Nationals 2017.

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First baseman Don Mincher: 200 home runs

Butler High School in Huntsville: Washington Senators 1960, 1971, Minnesota Twins 1961-1966, California Angels 1967-1968, Seattle Pilots 1969, Oakland Athletics 1970-1972, Texas Rangers 1972.

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Left fielder Josh Willingham: 195 home runs

Mars Hill Bible School in Florence, North Alabama: Florida Marlins 2004-2008, Washington Nationals 2009-2010, Oakland Athletics 2011, Minnesota Twins 2012-2014, Kansas City Royals 2014.

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Center fielder Amos Otis: 193 home runs

Williamson High School in Mobile: New York Mets 1967, 1969, Kansas City Royals 1970-1983, Pittsburgh Pirates 1984.

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First baseman Mule Suttles: 180 home runs

Blocton: Birmingham Black Barons 1924-1925, St. Louis Stars 1926-1931, Chicago American Giants 1929, 1933-1935, Detroit Wolves 1932, Washington Pilots 1932, Newark Eagles 1936-1940, 1942-1944, New York Black Yankees 1941. Suttles is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Center fielder Colby Rasmus: 166 home runs

Russell County High School: St. Louis Cardinals 2009-2011, Toronto Blue Jays 2011-2014, Houston Astros 2015-2016, Tampa Bay Rays 2017, Baltimore Orioles 2018.

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Left fielder Bo Jackson: 141 home runs

McAdory High School, Auburn: Kansas City Royals 1986-1990, Chicago White Sox 1991, 1993-1994.

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Center fielder Tommie Agee: 130 home runs

Mobile County High School: Cleveland Indians 1962-1964, Chicago White Sox 1964-1967, New York Mets 1968-1972, Houston Astros 1973, St. Louis Cardinals 1973.

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Left fielder Rusty Greer: 119 home runs

Albertville High School, Montevallo: Texas Rangers 1994-2002.

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Third baseman David Freese: 113 home runs

South Alabama: St. Louis Cardinals 2009-2013, Los Angeles Angels 2014-2015, Pittsburgh Pirates 2016-2018, Los Angeles Dodgers 2018-2019.

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Left fielder Heinie Manush: 110 home runs

Tuscumbia: Detroit Tigers 1923-1927, St. Louis Browns 1928-1930, Washington Senators 1930-1935, Boston Red Sox 1936, Brooklyn Dodgers 1937-1938, Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-1939. Manush is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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First baseman Fred Whitfield: 108 home runs

Woodlawn High School in Birmingham: St. Louis Cardinals 1962, Cleveland Indians 1963-1967, Cincinnati Reds 1968-1969, Montreal Expos 1970.

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Second baseman Frank Bolling: 106 home runs

McGill-Toolen in Mobile, Spring Hill College: Detroit Tigers 1954, 1956-60, Milwaukee Braves 1961-1965, Atlanta Braves 1966.

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Catcher David Ross: 106 home runs

Auburn: Los Angeles Dodgers 2002-2004, Pittsburgh Pirates 2005, San Diego Padres 2005, Cincinnati Reds 2006-2008, Boston Red Sox 2008, 2013-14, Atlanta Braves 2009-2012, Chicago Cubs 2015-2016.

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Catcher Alex Avila: 105 home runs

Alabama: Detroit Tigers 2009-2015, 2017, Chicago White Sox 2016, Chicago Cubs 2017, Arizona Diamondbacks 2018-2019, Minnesota Twins 2020, Washington Nationals 2021.

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Right fielder Dixie Walker: 105 home runs

Birmingham: New York Yankees 1931, 1933-1936, Chicago White Sox 1936-1937, Detroit Tigers 1938-1939, Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1947, Pittsburgh Pirates 1948-1949.

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Third baseman Jim Tabor: 104 home runs

New Hope High School, Alabama: Boston Red Sox 1938-1944, Philadelphia Phillies 1946-47.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.