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• The Atlanta Braves were founded in 1871 in Boston, Massachusetts as a National Association club. The club became a charter member of the National League in 1876 and is the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in North American sports.
• Atlanta was formerly known as the Boston Braves between 1912-1952 and then the Milwaukee Braves between 1953-1965. The Braves and Pirates debuted Major League Baseball's first season in Atlanta on April 12, with Pittsburgh winning, 3-2 in 13 innings. Atlanta placed fifth in its initial season, when Hank Aaron hit 44 homers and had 127 RBIs, which led the league.
• A couple of years later, the Braves marked the first year of division play by winning their division. In that season, the Braves were in fifth place on August 19, but outplayed San Francisco and Cincinnati down the stretch to win the division. Phil Niekro won 23 games that year, while Aaron slugged another 44 homers and knocked in 97 runs. However, the Braves lost to the “Miracle Mets” in the playoffs, three games to none. With the Braves, Hank Aaron hit his 600th career homer, off of the Giants’ Gaylord Perry at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
• Then, in the 1974 season, Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s record the first time he swung the bat that year, connecting on April 4 off Cincinnati's Jack Billingham. Four days later he broke the all-time record with No. 715 against Dodgers' lefty Al Downing. Outfielder Hank Aaron proved to be the most prolific home run hitter in baseball history and his record still stands today. The rest of the 1974 season was comparatively uneventful, but in January 1975 during the off-season, television magnate Ted Turner officially purchased the Braves.
• After three straight losing seasons, Turner made his first great move in hiring Bobby Cox. In the 1978 season, Cox promoted a 22-year-old slugger named Dale Murphy into the starting lineup. Murphy would hit 77 home runs over the next three seasons, however he struggled on defense, where he played at either catcher or first base. However, in 1980, Murphy was moved to center field and demonstrated excellent range and throwing ability, and helped lead the Braves to their first winning season since 1974. He would ultimately guide the team to eight division titles, five NL pennants, and one World Series championship. In 1990, the Braves made history by becoming the first team ever to reach the World Series just one season after having baseball's worst record. In 1998, the team was again in news as the team won 106 games and its seventh straight division title. Currently, the Braves have accumulated 13 straight division titles, 17 National League pennants and three World Series championships. In 2004, Bolstered by a rotation that was led by Jaret Wright and Russ Ortiz, the Braves posted the Major League’s best staff ERA for the 10th time in 13 seasons. Bobby Cox became the ninth manager to reach 2,000 career wins and John Smoltz set the franchise's all-time saves record. The current home ballpark, Turner Field, opened on March 29, 1997, and can seat over 50,000 people. This giant stadium was built at a cost $235 million. Some of the members who have been included in the Hall of Fame include Henry Aaron, Earl Averill, Dave Bancroft and Dan Brouthers.