Milo Hamilton, who was behind the microphone for Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run and later spent decades as the voice of the Astros, has died. He was 88.
Hamilton's son, Mark, told the Houston Chronicle the longtime broadcaster died Thursday morning after spending the last few weeks in hospice care.
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We lost a friend and cherished member of the #Astros family today. Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton has passed away at the age of 88.
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 17, 2015
Hamilton had already enjoyed a storied career when he was inducted into the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, and he went on to spend 20 more years calling Astros games before retiring following the 2012 season.
An Iowa native, he served in the Navy during World War II and first worked in baseball in 1953 calling St. Louis Browns games. He also served as an announcer for the Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox, Braves and Pirates before landing in Houston in 1985.
He called 11 no-hitters in his career and broadcast from 59 different big-league ballparks, but his signature moment undoubtedly came on April 8, 1974, when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
Hamilton had the radio call that day, punctuating the moment with: "There's a new home run champion of all time, and it's Henry Aaron!"
