The Yankees won the game 1 to 0 on Roger's home run, and went on to win the World Series that year. Then, on October 1 1961, the final day of the regular season, Roger hit his 61st home run against the Boston Red Sox, to set the new home run record. Roger, however, tied Ruth on September 26th, hitting his 60th home run of the year. There was an incredible amount of pressure on Roger Maris. An unfortunate injury to Mantle in September caused him to miss games at the end of the season, but he still finished with a career high 54 home runs. The Yankees continued to win and were playing to sellout crowds both at home and on the road. Roger became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs by the end of August. The two Yankee sluggers went back and forth leading the majors in home runs during the summer. Although Roger got off to a slow start hitting only one home run in April, he quickly made up ground hitting 11 home runs in May and 15 home runs in June. In 1961, Roger and Mickey Mantle received national attention as they chased for the single season home run record of 60 set by Babe Ruth in 1927. But it would be for the following year that he would be most remembered. He also hit two World Series home runs, won the Gold Glove Award for outstanding fielding, and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. However, Roger still finished the season first in RBI's with 112, first in slugging percentage, first in extra base hits and second in home runs with 39 (one behind teammate Mickey Mantle who led the majors with 40). An injury sliding into second to break up a double play caused him to miss 17 games. In 1960, his first season with the Yankees, Roger led the major leagues with 27 home runs and 69 RBI's by the halfway point and was again named to the All-Star team. Roger received attention and in his third year, was elected to the 1959 All-Star team.Īfter the 1959 season, Roger Maris was traded to the New York Yankees. Midway through his second year, Roger was traded to the Kansas City Athletics and finished the season with 28 home runs and 81 RBI's. Roger spent four years in the minor leagues playing for Fargo-Moorhead, Keokuk, Tulsa, Reading and Indianapolis before making it to the major leagues in Cleveland.ĭuring his first year in the majors, Roger hit 14 home runs and drove in 51 RBI's for the Cleveland Indians. He signed a $15,000 contract to play for the Cleveland Indians organization.
ROGER MARIS 1961 PROFESSIONAL
But with a professional baseball contract looming, Roger gave up his scholarship at the University of Oklahoma to pursue a career in baseball. Roger was recruited by legendary coach Bud Wilkinson to play football for the University of Oklahoma. In one game against Devil's Lake during his senior year, he scored four touchdowns on kickoff returns to set a national high school record. With his excellent speed, Roger was a standout in football as well. Roger led his American Legion team to the state championship. Roger played baseball in the American Legion program during the summers, since the North Dakota high schools with the cold weather did not have a program. It was in the 10th grade when Roger met Patricia, his future wife, at a high school basketball game. The Maris brothers played sports and attended Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota, where Roger and Rudy excelled in football and basketball.
His father, who worked for the Great Northern Railroad, moved the family to North Dakota in 1942, where Roger and Rudy, his older brother by one-year, grew up. Roger Eugene Maris was born in Hibbing, Minnesota on September 10, 1934.
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