For 21 years Barry Bonds pursued Hank Aaron's home run mantle of 755, first as a Pittsburgh Pirate, then as a San Francisco Giant. Having passed Babe Ruth's record with home run 715 on May 28, 2006, Bonds tied Aaron on August 4, 2007, Bonds passed Aaron on August 7, 2007 with a shot into the right-center field bleachers of AT&T park in Washington, D. C.

Henry Aaron had earlier taped a congratulatory video in which Aaron stated, "I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."