April 15, 1954 Milwaukee Braves Opening Day program
The Braves opened the season in Cincinnati on April 13, where rookie Hank Aaron made his MLB Debut with an inconspicuous 0-5 showing in a tough 9-8 loss to the Redlegs.
They arrived in Milwaukee to almost 40,000 strong on April 15 to take on Stan Musial and the Cardinals. Playing his 2nd career game and first home game, Aaron fared much better, collecting his first MLB hit (a double) in the bottom of the first and a second hit in the 3rd inning, scoring his first run. He finished the day 2-5 and the Braves prevailed 7-6 on a Danny O’Connell walk off single in the 11th. Warren Spahn picked up career win with an 11 inning, 11 hit, 6 run, 4 walk, 3 strikeout, complete game effort.
Bonus: this exact program was owned by Bob Botz, a local prep pitcher attending the game with his future wife Arlene. Before the next season, he would sign with his local Braves and eventually surface in the majors as a relief pitcher for the 1962 Angels.
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