On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron blasted a homer to left centerfield that at that point made him the all-time Major League Baseball home run hitter with 715. It was most certainly the highlight of his career.

Unfortunately, it was the highlight of Tom House’s career as well.

Who is Tom House?

While at this point he is a pitching guru that helps others perfect their craft, at that point he was a left-handed reliever for the Atlanta Braves. The members of the Braves bullpen had staked out territory between the outfield fence and the stands that they would cover on that historic night, and it just so happened that Aaron hit it right to him, with House catching the ball in the air.

He later returned it to Aaron, despite offers to purchase (more than his annual salary actually) the record-setting ball.

He has publicly admitted that it was the biggest moment in his major-league career. House was a solid left-handed reliever posting a 6-2 record and 11 saves with a 1.93 ERA in 56 games in 1974 and saving 11 more games and earning seven wins in 58 games in 1975. But his claim to fame will always be the ball caught, not any of those he pitched.

While House won’t ever make the Hall of Fame, he did make my list of all-time favorite Braves, coming in at No. 20.

In the previous two columns, I began naming my 100 all-time Atlanta Braves favorites. Today I will begin with House at No. 20 and work my way up to No. 11.

•No. 19 is Steve Avery. I honestly thought this left-handed phenom would eventually win a Cy Young. Three of his Braves pitching mates — Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine — are all enshrined in Cooperstown, but arm ailments cut Avery’s career short. At the age of 21, the tall lefty recorded an 18-8 record for the Braves and went 18-6 with a 2.94 ERA in 1993, but he only had two more double-digit win seasons in his career. I still see him as part of the “Big Four” of the 1990s, however.

•No. 18 is Ian Anderson. His Braves career has just begun, but what the big right-handed pitcher did last season with his work in key games made him one of my favorites in a hurry. If he continues to improve and can stay away from serious injuries, he has the potential to climb on this list.

•No. 17 belongs to Terry Pendleton. He made his name as a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, but in 1991 he became an Atlanta Brave and promptly led them to the World Series while claiming Most Valuable Player honors for the National League. He led the league in batting average at .319 and hits at 187 while stroking 34 doubles, eight triples and 22 homers and driving in 86 runs.

The next season he hit .311 with a league-leading 199 hits while smoking 39 doubles and 21 homers. He drove in 105 runs and finished second in the MVP voting. His slick-fielding at third also saved many a run.

•Dansby Swanson is No. 16. The former Vanderbilt star is now my all-time favorite Atlanta shortstop. He has improved offensively and has become solid defensively, and at times borders on spectacular. He has already hit 24 homers and driven in 74 runs in 2021 heading into Monday night’s game with the Yankees. I got a chance to watch him play as a rookie in 2016 and was there when he recorded his first MLB extra-base hit.

•The great Andruw Jones comes in at No. 15. The marvel from Curacao is one of the best defensive center fielders I have ever seen. He is as good at coming up on the ball and robbing the hitter of a single as anyone who has played the game. Because he was so good at going back on the ball, he could play shallow and rob many a major leaguer of a hit. He also possessed a power bat, leading the NL in homers with 51 and RBIs with 128 in 2005. He finished second in the MVP voting that year. He hit 30 or more homers five other seasons and concluded his career with 434. 

•Max Fried is already at No. 14 on my list and has the potential to climb higher. The tall, lanky lefty has had three strong seasons in a row for the Braves, going 17-6 in 2019, 7-0 in 2020 with a 2.25 ERA in 11 starts and is 11-7 so far this year. He has become the ace of the Braves’ staff and will eventually make a run at winning a Cy Young Award.

•I go back to the oldies but goodies for No. 13. Ron Reed is one of my favorite all-time Atlanta Braves pitchers. Only long-time Braves fan know who Reed is, but he won 10 or more games for Atlanta on six different occasions, mostly when the Braves weren’t necessarily playing their best ball. He went 18-10 during Atlanta’s pennant-winning season of 1969 but was also an anchor of the staff during some of the VERY lean years of the 1970s. I got a chance to see him throw nine shutout innings against the San Diego Padres in 1974. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game after nine innings for a pinch-hitter. The Braves went on to win 1-0. Who was the wining pitcher? Well, Tom House of course.

•“The Captain” is No. 12. Bob Horner’s production was incredible — when he wasn’t hurt. I got a chance to watch Horner play in his abbreviated 89-game season in 1978. He finished that year with 23 homers and was named NL Rookie or the Year. Only once did he have more than 500 at bats, mostly due to injuries. He belted 35 homers in 1980, drove in 98 runs in 1979 and twice batted over .300 for a season: .314 in 1979 and .303 in 1983. 

•Ronald Acuna is No. 11, but it will be difficult for him to remain outside of the top 10 going forward. I just can’t figure out who to drop out. When you see next week’s list of my top 10 favorite Braves, you’ll see why. What a magical baseball player this man is. He is just 23 years old, but the 2018 Rookie of the Year has the potential to be one of the all-time greats. He hits with power, plays with flair, steals bases and hits for a decent average. He has all the tools to go a long way with his talent.

Next week, we will go over the top 10. There won’t be any real surprises for die-hard Braves fans, while there may be at least one for the casual followers of the Atlanta franchise. Two of my top 10 are still on the roster this year, while six are in the Hall of Fame, and one should be.

See you next week. Be Blessed!

Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur and professional sports since 1975. He is currently pastor of Great Commission Assembly of God in Philadelphia. He may be contacted by email at starsportsboss@yahoo.com.