A numerical tribute to two of baseball’s greatest home run hitters will be front and centre during the 2025 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby on Monday night in Atlanta.
Instead of their usual numbers, participants in this year’s Derby will wear the uniform numbers of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. According to a report from ESPN, players representing the American League will wear No. 3 for Ruth, while National League participants will wear No. 44 in honour of Aaron.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game festivities are being hosted at Truist Park in Atlanta, home of the Braves franchise for which Aaron played 21 seasons. In addition, the Home Run Derby is scheduled for July 14 (7/14), followed by the All-Star Game on July 15 (7/15), dates that numerically correspond to the iconic moment when Aaron surpassed Ruth’s career home run total with his 715th in 1974.
Former Major League pitcher and Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, now a special assistant to the MLB commissioner, told ESPN he proposed the idea after realizing the connection between the dates and the record-breaking milestones.
“Everything [in baseball] is about numbers,” Sabathia said. “Seven-hundred-fifteen is such a huge number, and that actually being the date in the Derby was the inspiration behind the guys wearing the uniforms.”
In recent seasons, Home Run Derby participants have typically worn their usual regular season team uniforms, while players wore league-specific designs during the game. This year, that’s being flipped, marking a welcome return to the days when players wore their team uniforms during the All-Star Game itself.
Ruth hit his final home run, No. 714, as a member of the Boston Braves, the franchise that would later relocate to Milwaukee and then Atlanta. Aaron surpassed Ruth’s total with his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He would go on to finish his career with the Brewers in Milwaukee with 755.
The Derby takes place Monday night in Atlanta. Jerseys, shirts, and other 2025 MLB All-Star Game merchandise are available here.
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