"This is a happy moment, not only for the people of Milwaukee but baseball itself," Aaron, a senior vice president for the Braves, said Opening Day on March 31 as he stood next to the Brewers' dugout at Turner Field as Milwaukee started the season at Atlanta. "Milwaukee has always considered itself a National League city."

The Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953 and Aaron joined the team a year later, helping it win two NL pennants and the World Series championship in 1957.

Aaron moved to Atlanta with the Braves in 1966 and went on to break Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974, hitting his 715th at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, re-entered baseball in 1970 with an American League franchise, and Aaron was traded to the Brewers in 1975 to finish out his career, hitting the last of his 755 career homers. Aaron hit 420 homers while wearing a Milwaukee uniform.

Aaron also threw out the first pitch when the Brewers played their first NL home game, April 7 against the Montreal Expos at County Stadium. And he also threw out the first pitch June 2 when the Braves made their first return to Milwaukee.

"They've got some fantastic players in the American League," Aaron said. "I don't know why they never got attached to that league in Milwaukee."

Aaron said he still gets a tinge of sadness when he drives by the site of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which was demolished last year and is now a parking lot across the street from 2-year-old Turner Field.

"That was more than a ballpark to me," he said. "That was like my house. I had a bed there. I slept there many a nights" while chasing Ruth's home-run record.

"It was a very good ballpark for me. I learned to hit in that park very quickly. I learned if you pulled the ball down the line and got it up in the air, you had a chance to hit a home run."