Roger Maris
Encyclopedia
Roger Eugene Maris was an American
Major League Baseball
right fielder
. During the 1961 season
, he hit a record 61 home run
s for the New York Yankees
, breaking Babe Ruth
's single-season record of 60 home runs (set in 1927
). Maris' record stood for 37 years, and has been bested only by players who have been implicated in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Maris played for 12 seasons (1957-1968) for four different teams. He appeared in seven World Series
, winning three of them. He was an MVP, All-Star
, and Gold Glove
outfielder, whose uniform number 9 was retired by the New York Yankees. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was debated greatly in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998
, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire
and Sammy Sosa
.
immigrants, he was born Roger Eugene Maras(he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota
. He grew up in Grand Forks
and Fargo, North Dakota
, where he attended Shanley High School
. A gifted athlete, Maris participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football
. He still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdown
s in a game, with four.
At an early age, Maris exhibited an independent, no-nonsense personality. Recruited to play football at the University of Oklahoma
, he spent less than one semester on campus. He returned to Fargo and signed a minor-league baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians
.
lead in putout
s by an outfielder with 305 while playing for Keokuk in 1954. Meanwhile, in four minor league
seasons from 1953 to 1956, Maris hit .303 with 78 home runs. In Game 2 of the 1956 Junior World Series
, Maris would set a record by getting seven runs batted in. With the five teams that Maris played for in the minors, the clubs’ won loss records would improve from the following year.
Maris made his major league debut in 1957 with the Cleveland Indians
. On April 18 of that year, he hit the first home run of his career, a grand slam
off Tigers
pitcher Jack Crimian
at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The next year, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics
with Dick Tomanek
and Preston Ward
for Vic Power
and Woodie Held
. He represented the A's in the 1959 All-Star Game
in spite of missing 45 games due to an appendix
operation.
In the late 1950s
, Kansas City frequently traded its best young players to the New York Yankees
– a practice which led them to be referred to as the Yankees' "major league farm team
" – and Maris was no exception. In a seven-player deal in December 1959, he was sent to the Yankees with Kent Hadley
and Joe DeMaestri
in exchange for Marv Throneberry
, Norm Siebern
, Hank Bauer
, and Don Larsen
.
In 1960, Maris' first season with the Yankees, he led the league in slugging percentage, runs batted in
, and extra base hit
s and finished second in home runs (one behind teammate Mickey Mantle
) and total bases (four behind Mantle). He was recognized as an outstanding defensive outfielder with a Gold Glove Award
, and also won the American League
's Most Valuable Player award. The Yankees won the American League pennant, but lost a seven-game World Series
to the Pittsburgh Pirates
thanks to Bill Mazeroski
's dramatic walk-off home run
.
expanded from 8 to 10 teams, generally watering team rosters down as players who would likely have been playing at AAA or lower were now in the majors. The Yankees, however, were left mainly intact. In addition, the season was extended from 154 games to 162 games. On January 23, 1961, an Associated Press
reporter asked Maris whether the schedule changes might threaten Babe Ruth
's single-season home run record; Maris replied, "Nobody will touch it... Look up the records and you'll see that it's a rare year when anybody hits 50 homers, let alone 60."
Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankees, including Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra
, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname "Murderers Row," because they hit a combined 165 home runs the previous season (The title "Murderers Row," originally coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the 1927 Yankees
). As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, where both Mark McGwire
and Sammy Sosa
were given extensive positive media coverage in their pursuit of Maris' record, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "M&M Boys
" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, as Yogi Berra has told multiple interviewers.
Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had already challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion as well. When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from the New York traditionalists. The New York press had not been all that kind to Mantle either in his early years with the team; he struck out frequently, was injury prone, was a true "hick
" from Oklahoma
, and was perceived as being distinctly inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio
. Over the course of time, however, Mantle (with a little help from his friend and teammate Whitey Ford
, a native of New York's Borough of Queens
) had gotten better at "schmoozing" with the New York media, and consequently gained the favor of the press. This was a talent that Maris, a blunt-spoken Upper Midwesterner
, never attempted to cultivate, and as a result, he was perceived as surly for his entire career with the Yankees.
As 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now "Mickey Mantle's team" and Maris was ostracized as the "outsider" and "not a true Yankee." The press seemed to root for Mantle and belittle Maris. Mantle, however, was felled by a hip infection late in the season, leaving Maris as the only player with a chance to break Ruth's record.
On top of his lack of popular press coverage, Maris' chase for 61 hit another roadblock totally out of his control: along with adding two teams to the league, Major League Baseball had added eight games to the schedule. In the middle of the season, baseball commissioner Ford Frick
announced that unless Ruth's record was broken in the first 154 games of the season, the new record would be shown in the record books as having been set in 162 games while the previous record set in 154 games would also be shown. It is an urban legend
that an asterisk would be used to distinguish the new record, sparked by a question to Commissioner Frick from New York sportswriter Dick Young
.
Nash and Zullo argued in The Baseball Hall of Shame that Frick made the ruling because the former newspaper reporter had been a close friend of Ruth's. Furthermore, Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby
– himself a lifetime .358 batter – compared Ruth's 1927 batting average of .356 to Maris' .269 clip of 1961 and said, "It would be a disappointment if Ruth's home run record were bested by a .270 hitter" (Hornsby, however, was not easy to impress; while scouting for the Mets, the best report he could muster for any current player was "Looks like a major-leaguer." The assessment referred to Mickey Mantle). Maris downplayed the challenge, saying, "I'm not trying to be Babe Ruth; I'm trying to hit sixty-one home runs and be Roger Maris." This sentiment would be echoed in 1973–1974, when Hank Aaron, in pursuit of Ruth's career home run record, said, "I don't want people to forget Babe Ruth. I just want them to remember Henry Aaron."
With 59 home runs after the Yankees' 154th game, Maris failed to reach the arbitrary mark. He hit his 61st on October 1, 1961, in the fourth inning of the last game of the season, at Yankee Stadium in front of 23,154 fans. Boston Red Sox
pitcher Tracy Stallard
gave up the record home run. No asterisk was subsequently used in any record books; Major League Baseball itself then had no official record book, and Frick later acknowledged that there never was official qualification of Maris' accomplishment. However, Maris remained bitter about the experience. Speaking at the 1980 All-Star Game
, he said, "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." Despite all the controversy and criticism, Maris was awarded the 1961 Hickok Belt
as the top professional athlete of the year, and won the American League's MVP Award for the second straight year. It is said, however, that the stress of pursuing the record was so great for Maris that his hair occasionally fell out in clumps during the season. Later, Maris even surmised that it might have been better all along had he not broken the record or even threatened it at all.
Maris' major league record would stand three years longer than Ruth's did, until National League
r Mark McGwire
broke it by hitting 70 in 1998. Sammy Sosa also broke Maris' record that year, hitting 66. The record is currently held by Barry Bonds
(also a National Leaguer), who hit 73 home runs in 2001. Maris' 61 home runs are now the seventh-highest single-season total, and remain the American League
record. On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroid
s the year he broke Maris' record. Sosa and Bonds have also been suspected of steroid use. Many baseball fans argue that the home run record should be returned to Maris.
against the San Francisco Giants
. With the Yankees leading 1-0 and Matty Alou
on first, Willie Mays
doubled toward the right-field line. Maris cut off the ball and made a strong throw to prevent Alou from scoring the tying run; the play set up Willie McCovey
's series-ending line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson
, capping what would prove to be the final World Series victory for the "old" Yankees.
In 1963 he played in 90 games, hitting 23 home runs. Maris was again injured in Game Two of the 1963 World Series
after only five plate appearances. He rebounded in 1964, appearing in 141 games, batting .281 with 26 home runs. Maris hit a home run in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series
. Physical problems were most notable in 1965, when he played most of the season with a misdiagnosed broken bone in his hand. Despite real injuries, he began to acquire yet another "jacket" by the New York press – the tag of "malingerer."
Now encumbered with an injured image as well as body, he was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals
after the 1966 season for Charley Smith
. The Yankees questioned Maris' courage, and Maris left angry.
Maris was well-received by the St. Louis fans, who appreciated a man with a straightforward Midwestern style even if the New York press did not, while Maris himself felt much more at home in St. Louis. He played his final two seasons with the Cardinals, helping them to pennants in 1967 and 1968 with a World Series victory
in 1967 (he hit .385 with one home run and seven RBIs in the post-season). Gussie Busch
, head of the Cardinals and of Anheuser-Busch
, set Maris up with a beer distributorship after he retired.
, who had died in 1980, was also honored with the retirement of his number (32) and a Monument Park plaque that day. It is likely that the Yankees had waited to retire the number 9 until third baseman Graig Nettles
, who had worn it since 1973, left the team following the 1983 season.
Maris owned the Budweiser
distributorship in Gainesville, Florida
in the 1970s and 1980s. He coached baseball at Gainesville's Oak Hall High School
, which named its baseball field for him.
. In response, he organized the annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
Maris died in December 1985 at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas
. A Roman Catholic, he was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota. He remains a hero in his hometown of Fargo and was a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award
. Tributes include Roger Maris Drive and The Roger Maris Cancer Center, the fund raising beneficiary of the annual golf tournament, and the 61 for 61 Home Walk & Run, which is held in conjunction with the 61 for 61 radiothon on 107.9 The Fox
. There is also a movement to have Maris inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
.
opened at the West Acres Shopping Center
in Fargo. Dedicated to the life and career of Maris, the museum is open during mall hours and charges no admission.
In 2001, the film 61* about Maris and Mantle's pursuit of the home run record was first broadcast. Many of the unpleasant aspects of Maris' season were addressed, including the hate mail
, death threat
s, and his stress-induced hair loss. In addition, the film delved into the relationship between Maris and Mantle, portraying them as friends more than rivals. Mantle was depicted defending Maris to the New York media, and Maris was shown trying to influence the hard-living Mantle to look after himself better. Maris was played by Barry Pepper
, while Thomas Jane
played Mantle.
In 2005, in light of accusations of steroid use against the three players who had, by then, hit more than 61 home runs in a season (Mark McGwire
, Sammy Sosa
and Barry Bonds
), the North Dakota
Senate wrote to Major League Baseball and "urged" that Roger Maris' 61 home runs be recognized as the single season record. Newman Signs Inc., which holds the naming rights to Newman Outdoor Field
in Fargo, ND, continues to use billboard signage to declare Maris is the "legitimate home run king."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. During the 1961 season
1961 Major League Baseball season
The New York Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the World Series. The season is most well known for Yankee teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of Babe Ruth's prestigious 34-year-old single-season home run record of 60...
, he hit a record 61 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, breaking Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's single-season record of 60 home runs (set in 1927
1927 Major League Baseball season
-Regular season standings:-World series:-Award winners:-League leaders:-External links:*...
). Maris' record stood for 37 years, and has been bested only by players who have been implicated in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Maris played for 12 seasons (1957-1968) for four different teams. He appeared in seven World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, winning three of them. He was an MVP, All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, and Gold Glove
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
outfielder, whose uniform number 9 was retired by the New York Yankees. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was debated greatly in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998
1998 Major League Baseball season
*American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells**American League Division Series:*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock**National League Division Series*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP...
, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
and Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
.
Early life
The son of CroatianCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
immigrants, he was born Roger Eugene Maras(he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
. He grew up in Grand Forks
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
and Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, where he attended Shanley High School
Shanley High School
Shanley High School, once called Sacred Heart Academy, is a Catholic high school located in Fargo, North Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo. It currently serves about 380 students and is a member of the Fargo Catholic Schools Network...
. A gifted athlete, Maris participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in a game, with four.
At an early age, Maris exhibited an independent, no-nonsense personality. Recruited to play football at the University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, he spent less than one semester on campus. He returned to Fargo and signed a minor-league baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
Early years
In 1953, Maris played for the Indians organization at Fargo-Moorhead and moved to Keokuk the next season. In the minor leagues, he showed a talent for both offense and defense. He tied for the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa LeagueIllinois-Indiana-Iowa League
The Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 years, mostly in those three states. It was popularly known as the Three-I League and also sometimes jokingly as the Three-Eye League....
lead in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s by an outfielder with 305 while playing for Keokuk in 1954. Meanwhile, in four minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
seasons from 1953 to 1956, Maris hit .303 with 78 home runs. In Game 2 of the 1956 Junior World Series
Junior World Series
The Junior World Series was the name given to a postseason series between champions of two of the three high-minor baseball leagues, modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball...
, Maris would set a record by getting seven runs batted in. With the five teams that Maris played for in the minors, the clubs’ won loss records would improve from the following year.
Maris made his major league debut in 1957 with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. On April 18 of that year, he hit the first home run of his career, a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
off Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
pitcher Jack Crimian
Jack Crimian
John Melvin Crimian is a retired American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals during the and seasons, the Kansas City Athletics during the season, and the Detroit Tigers during the season.-References:...
at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The next year, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
with Dick Tomanek
Dick Tomanek
Richard Carl Tomanek is a retired American professional baseball player, a pitcher who played for five seasons in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1953 to 1954 and 1957 to 1958 and the Kansas City Athletics from 1958 to 1959. Nicknamed "Bones," he stood tall and...
and Preston Ward
Preston Ward
Preston Meyer Ward was a lefty-hitting, righty-throwing first baseman/outfielder/third baseman, who played 9 seasons in the major leagues, playing in both the National and American Leagues. In the National League, he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates...
for Vic Power
Victor Pellot
Victor Pellot a.k.a. "Vic Power" was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League...
and Woodie Held
Woodie Held
Woodson George "Woodie" Held was a shortstop/outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and Chicago White Sox. He batted and threw right-handed...
. He represented the A's in the 1959 All-Star Game
1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game may refer to:*The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was a 5-4 victory for the National League over the American League...
in spite of missing 45 games due to an appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
operation.
In the late 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, Kansas City frequently traded its best young players to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
– a practice which led them to be referred to as the Yankees' "major league farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
" – and Maris was no exception. In a seven-player deal in December 1959, he was sent to the Yankees with Kent Hadley
Kent Hadley
Kent William Hadley was a professional baseball player. A free-swinging first baseman, he played three years in Major League Baseball and six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball .- United States :...
and Joe DeMaestri
Joe DeMaestri
Joseph Paul DeMaestri , nicknamed "Froggy," is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox , St. Louis Browns , Philadelphia & Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees...
in exchange for Marv Throneberry
Marv Throneberry
Marvin Eugene Throneberry was an American Major League Baseball player, best remembered as the starting first baseman for the 1962 New York Mets, a team which set the modern record for most losses in a season with 120....
, Norm Siebern
Norm Siebern
Norman Leroy Siebern was a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox from to . His best season came in with the A's, when he hit 25 home runs, had 117 runs batted in and a .308...
, Hank Bauer
Hank Bauer
Henry Albert "Hank" Bauer was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics ; he batted and threw right-handed...
, and Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
.
In 1960, Maris' first season with the Yankees, he led the league in slugging percentage, runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, and extra base hit
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
s and finished second in home runs (one behind teammate Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
) and total bases (four behind Mantle). He was recognized as an outstanding defensive outfielder with a Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
, and also won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
's Most Valuable Player award. The Yankees won the American League pennant, but lost a seven-game World Series
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the New York Yankees of the American League from October 5 to October 13, 1960...
to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
thanks to Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
's dramatic walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
.
1961
In 1961, the American LeagueAmerican League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
expanded from 8 to 10 teams, generally watering team rosters down as players who would likely have been playing at AAA or lower were now in the majors. The Yankees, however, were left mainly intact. In addition, the season was extended from 154 games to 162 games. On January 23, 1961, an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reporter asked Maris whether the schedule changes might threaten Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's single-season home run record; Maris replied, "Nobody will touch it... Look up the records and you'll see that it's a rare year when anybody hits 50 homers, let alone 60."
Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankees, including Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname "Murderers Row," because they hit a combined 165 home runs the previous season (The title "Murderers Row," originally coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the 1927 Yankees
1927 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was their 25th season. The team finished with a record of 110-44, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by Miller Huggins. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they swept the...
). As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, where both Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
and Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
were given extensive positive media coverage in their pursuit of Maris' record, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "M&M Boys
M&M Boys
"The M&M Boys" was the nickname given to the New York Yankees' early-1960s slugging tandem of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. The nickname gained provenance during the 1961 season, when Maris and Mantle, batting 3-4 in the Yankee lineup, both challenged Babe Ruth's 34-year old single-season record...
" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, as Yogi Berra has told multiple interviewers.
Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had already challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion as well. When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from the New York traditionalists. The New York press had not been all that kind to Mantle either in his early years with the team; he struck out frequently, was injury prone, was a true "hick
Hick
-Surname:*Benjamin Hick, , a mechanical engineer*Graeme Hick, , an English cricketer*John Hick, , a philosopher of religion and theologian*Pentland Hick , a British entrepreneur, author, and publisher*W. E...
" from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and was perceived as being distinctly inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
. Over the course of time, however, Mantle (with a little help from his friend and teammate Whitey Ford
Whitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.-Early life and career:...
, a native of New York's Borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
) had gotten better at "schmoozing" with the New York media, and consequently gained the favor of the press. This was a talent that Maris, a blunt-spoken Upper Midwesterner
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
, never attempted to cultivate, and as a result, he was perceived as surly for his entire career with the Yankees.
As 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now "Mickey Mantle's team" and Maris was ostracized as the "outsider" and "not a true Yankee." The press seemed to root for Mantle and belittle Maris. Mantle, however, was felled by a hip infection late in the season, leaving Maris as the only player with a chance to break Ruth's record.
On top of his lack of popular press coverage, Maris' chase for 61 hit another roadblock totally out of his control: along with adding two teams to the league, Major League Baseball had added eight games to the schedule. In the middle of the season, baseball commissioner Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
announced that unless Ruth's record was broken in the first 154 games of the season, the new record would be shown in the record books as having been set in 162 games while the previous record set in 154 games would also be shown. It is an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that an asterisk would be used to distinguish the new record, sparked by a question to Commissioner Frick from New York sportswriter Dick Young
Dick Young (sportswriter)
Dick Young was a sportswriter best known for his direct and abrasive style, and his 45-year association with the New York Daily News...
.
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
– himself a lifetime .358 batter – compared Ruth's 1927 batting average of .356 to Maris' .269 clip of 1961 and said, "It would be a disappointment if Ruth's home run record were bested by a .270 hitter" (Hornsby, however, was not easy to impress; while scouting for the Mets, the best report he could muster for any current player was "Looks like a major-leaguer." The assessment referred to Mickey Mantle). Maris downplayed the challenge, saying, "I'm not trying to be Babe Ruth; I'm trying to hit sixty-one home runs and be Roger Maris." This sentiment would be echoed in 1973–1974, when Hank Aaron, in pursuit of Ruth's career home run record, said, "I don't want people to forget Babe Ruth. I just want them to remember Henry Aaron."
With 59 home runs after the Yankees' 154th game, Maris failed to reach the arbitrary mark. He hit his 61st on October 1, 1961, in the fourth inning of the last game of the season, at Yankee Stadium in front of 23,154 fans. Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
pitcher Tracy Stallard
Tracy Stallard
Evan Tracy Stallard is a retired American professional baseball player, a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1960 to 1966. He played with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and St...
gave up the record home run. No asterisk was subsequently used in any record books; Major League Baseball itself then had no official record book, and Frick later acknowledged that there never was official qualification of Maris' accomplishment. However, Maris remained bitter about the experience. Speaking at the 1980 All-Star Game
1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 51st midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 8, 1980 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, home of the Los...
, he said, "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." Despite all the controversy and criticism, Maris was awarded the 1961 Hickok Belt
Hickok Belt
The S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award, known as the Hickok Belt, was a trophy awarded for 27 years to the top professional athlete of the year in the United States...
as the top professional athlete of the year, and won the American League's MVP Award for the second straight year. It is said, however, that the stress of pursuing the record was so great for Maris that his hair occasionally fell out in clumps during the season. Later, Maris even surmised that it might have been better all along had he not broken the record or even threatened it at all.
Maris' major league record would stand three years longer than Ruth's did, until National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
r Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
broke it by hitting 70 in 1998. Sammy Sosa also broke Maris' record that year, hitting 66. The record is currently held by Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
(also a National Leaguer), who hit 73 home runs in 2001. Maris' 61 home runs are now the seventh-highest single-season total, and remain the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
record. On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
s the year he broke Maris' record. Sosa and Bonds have also been suspected of steroid use. Many baseball fans argue that the home run record should be returned to Maris.
Remainder of career
In 1962, Maris made his fourth consecutive and final All-Star game appearance. His fine defensive skills were often overlooked. He made a game-saving play in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants, who had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a...
against the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. With the Yankees leading 1-0 and Matty Alou
Matty Alou
Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou was a Dominican outfielder who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres...
on first, Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
doubled toward the right-field line. Maris cut off the ball and made a strong throw to prevent Alou from scoring the tying run; the play set up Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
's series-ending line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
, capping what would prove to be the final World Series victory for the "old" Yankees.
In 1963 he played in 90 games, hitting 23 home runs. Maris was again injured in Game Two of the 1963 World Series
1963 World Series
The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games to capture their second title in five years, and their third in franchise history....
after only five plate appearances. He rebounded in 1964, appearing in 141 games, batting .281 with 26 home runs. Maris hit a home run in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series
1964 World Series
The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
. Physical problems were most notable in 1965, when he played most of the season with a misdiagnosed broken bone in his hand. Despite real injuries, he began to acquire yet another "jacket" by the New York press – the tag of "malingerer."
Now encumbered with an injured image as well as body, he was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
after the 1966 season for Charley Smith
Charley Smith
Charles William Smith was a third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for a number of teams in his career which lasted from 1960-1969. His most notable fact is that on December 8, 1966 the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to the New York Yankees straight up for Roger Maris.-External links:...
. The Yankees questioned Maris' courage, and Maris left angry.
Maris was well-received by the St. Louis fans, who appreciated a man with a straightforward Midwestern style even if the New York press did not, while Maris himself felt much more at home in St. Louis. He played his final two seasons with the Cardinals, helping them to pennants in 1967 and 1968 with a World Series victory
1967 World Series
The 1967 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 1946 World Series, with the Cardinals winning in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall...
in 1967 (he hit .385 with one home run and seven RBIs in the post-season). Gussie Busch
Gussie Busch
August "Gussie" Anheuser Busch, Jr. was an American brewing magnate who built the Anheuser-Busch Companies into the largest brewery in the world as company chairman from 1946–75, and became a prominent sportsman as owner of the St...
, head of the Cardinals and of Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, set Maris up with a beer distributorship after he retired.
Awards, honors, and life after baseball
The Yankees retired Maris' number 9 on Old-Timers' Day, July 21, 1984, and dedicated a plaque in Maris' honor to hang in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque calls him "A great player and author of one of the most remarkable chapters in the history of major league baseball." Maris was on hand for the ceremony and wore a full Yankee uniform. His teammate Elston HowardElston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
, who had died in 1980, was also honored with the retirement of his number (32) and a Monument Park plaque that day. It is likely that the Yankees had waited to retire the number 9 until third baseman Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles , nicknamed "Puff", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres , Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos .Nettles was one of the best...
, who had worn it since 1973, left the team following the 1983 season.
Maris owned the Budweiser
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
distributorship in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
in the 1970s and 1980s. He coached baseball at Gainesville's Oak Hall High School
Oak Hall High School
Oak Hall School is an independent, college-preparatory school in Gainesville, Florida that serves over 750 students in grades pre-k through 12. Students are admitted to Oak Hall on the basis of previous academic record, recommendations and an admission test with a writing sample...
, which named its baseball field for him.
Illness and death
In 1983, Maris was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphomaHodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
. In response, he organized the annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
Maris died in December 1985 at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. A Roman Catholic, he was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota. He remains a hero in his hometown of Fargo and was a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award
Roughrider Award
The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award is an award presented by the governor of the state of North Dakota. It is bestowed upon prominent North Dakotans.-Recipients:Note: date in parentheses indicates date of award...
. Tributes include Roger Maris Drive and The Roger Maris Cancer Center, the fund raising beneficiary of the annual golf tournament, and the 61 for 61 Home Walk & Run, which is held in conjunction with the 61 for 61 radiothon on 107.9 The Fox
KPFX
KPFX is a radio station located in Fargo, North Dakota, owned by Go Radio Broadcasting, a division of Triad Broadcasting...
. There is also a movement to have Maris inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
.
Legacy
In 1984, The Roger Maris MuseumThe Roger Maris Museum
The Roger Maris Museum is a museum located in the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, North Dakota. Dedicated in 1984, it is a permanent shrine to Roger Maris' career and life, centering on the 1961 season in which Maris hit a then-record 61 home runs...
opened at the West Acres Shopping Center
West Acres Shopping Center
West Acres Shopping Center is a regional shopping mall located in Fargo, North Dakota near the intersection of Interstates 29 and 94. It is the largest mall in North Dakota and includes five major anchors, nearly 130 stores and services, and a 750 seat food court...
in Fargo. Dedicated to the life and career of Maris, the museum is open during mall hours and charges no admission.
In 2001, the film 61* about Maris and Mantle's pursuit of the home run record was first broadcast. Many of the unpleasant aspects of Maris' season were addressed, including the hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
, death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s, and his stress-induced hair loss. In addition, the film delved into the relationship between Maris and Mantle, portraying them as friends more than rivals. Mantle was depicted defending Maris to the New York media, and Maris was shown trying to influence the hard-living Mantle to look after himself better. Maris was played by Barry Pepper
Barry Pepper
Barry Robert Pepper is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing roles like Sergeant Michael Strank in the Clint Eastwood film, Flags of Our Fathers, Private Daniel Jackson in Saving Private Ryan, Roger Maris in 61*, Ned Pepper in True Grit and for his recent role as Robert F...
, while Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
played Mantle.
In 2005, in light of accusations of steroid use against the three players who had, by then, hit more than 61 home runs in a season (Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
, Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
and Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
), the North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
Senate wrote to Major League Baseball and "urged" that Roger Maris' 61 home runs be recognized as the single season record. Newman Signs Inc., which holds the naming rights to Newman Outdoor Field
Newman Outdoor Field
Newman Outdoor Field is a baseball stadium in Fargo, North Dakota. It is located on the campus of North Dakota State University and is the home of the independent league Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks baseball team and the North Dakota State Bison baseball team. The 4,513 seat facility was known as "The...
in Fargo, ND, continues to use billboard signage to declare Maris is the "legitimate home run king."
See also
- Maris–McGwire–Sosa pair
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- 50 home run club50 home run clubIn Major League Baseball, the 50 home run club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. The 50 Home Run Club was "founded" by Babe Ruth in 1920...
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions