61 Home Runs by Roger Maris

Roger Maris Breaks Babe Ruth Record

1961: The year a record was broken, hearts were broken, and a man's life was changed forever. Roger Maris will forever be known as the man that took Babe Ruth's record. The man that changed the record books. Maris was hated, booed, cussed, and generally abused by the press and fans for his chase of the most well-known mark in all of baseball: Babe Ruth's sixty single season home runs.

Maris began the year as just another hard-hitting Yankee. If anyone, his battery mate, and media darling, Mickey Mantle was scheduled to be the one to take over the spot on the all time homer list. "Mick" was loved by the fans and the press, Maris was not. In fact, whenever Maris hit one of his home runs, he was quickly reminded that it was only because Mantle was behind him that he even saw a good pitch to hit. In fact, Maris spent his entire record setting year cast as the villain in a media-soap opera, while his good friend, Mantle, was seen as the good guy whose own teammate was trying to steal his thunder.

Maris suffered greatly during the season. He actually lost his hair and had his and his families lives threatened. The most heartbreaking part of his 1961 saga came after his record breaking long ball. Commissioner Ford Frick decided that Maris' record would not stand against Ruth's because it was not done during the same number of games.

Maris could not take the pride he deserved in his great achievement. Speaking in 1980 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 sixty-one home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." What should have been one of baseball's greatest achievements became one of its saddest stories.

Now, with great pride, Baseball Almanac presents, Roger Maris' truly remarkable record-breaking sixty-one steroid free home runs.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"As a ballplayer, I would be delighted to do it (break Babe Ruth's single season home run record) again. As an individual, I doubt if I could possibly go through it again." - Roger Maris

The Historic 61

Roger Maris

Research by Baseball Almanac | Home Runs by Roger Maris

1 11 04-26-1961 Paul Foytack Detroit Right Away 5th
2 17 05-03-1961 Pedro Ramos Minnesota Right Away 7th
3 20 05-06-1961 Eli Grba Los Angeles Right Away 5th
4 29 05-17-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Left Home 8th
5 30 05-19-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Right Away 1st
6 31 05-20-1961 Gary Bell Cleveland Right Away 3rd
7 32 05-21-1961 Chuck Estrada Baltimore Right Home 1st
8 35 05-24-1961 Gene Conley Boston Right Home 4th
9 38 05-28-1961 Cal McLish Chicago Right Home 2nd
10 40 05-30-1961 Gene Conley Boston Right Away 3rd
11 40 05-30-1961 Mike Fornieles Boston Right Away 8th
12 41 05-31-1961 Billy Muffett Boston Right Away 3rd
13 43 06-02-1961 Cal McLish Chicago Right Away 3rd
14 44 06-03-1961 Bob Shaw Chicago Right Away 8th
15 45 06-04-1961 Russ Kemmerer Chicago Right Away 3rd
16 48 06-06-1961 Ed Palmquist Minnesota Right Home 6th
17 49 06-07-1961 Pedro Ramos Minnesota Right Home 3rd
18 52 06-09-1961 Ray Herbert Kansas City Right Home 7th
19 55 06-11-1961 Eli Grba Los Angeles Right Home 3rd
20 55 06-11-1961 Johnny James Los Angeles Right Home 7th
21 57 06-13-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Right Away 6th
22 58 06-14-1961 Gary Bell Cleveland Right Away 4th
23 61 06-17-1961 Don Mossi Detroit Left Away 4th
24 62 06-18-1961 Jerry Casale Detroit Right Away 8th
25 63 06-19-1961 Jim Archer Kansas City Left Away 9th
26 64 06-20-1961 Joe Nuxhall Kansas City Left Away 1st
27 66 06-22-1961 Norm Bass Kansas City Right Away 2nd
28 74 07-01-1961 Dave Sisler Washington Right Home 9th
29 75 07-02-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Left Home 3rd
30 75 07-02-1961 Johnny Klippstein Washington Right Home 7th
31 77 07-04-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Right Home 8th
32 78 07-05-1961 Frank Funk Cleveland Right Home 7th
33 82 07-09-1961 Bill Monbouquette Boston Right Home 7th
34 84 07-13-1961 Early Wynn Chicago Right Away 1st
35 86 07-15-1961 Ray Herbert Chicago Right Away 3rd
36 92 07-21-1961 Bill Monbouquette Boston Right Away 1st
37 95 07-25-1961 Frank Baumann Chicago Left Home 4th
38 95 07-25-1961 Don Larsen Chicago Right Home 8th
39 96 07-25-1961 Russ Kemmerer Chicago Right Home 4th
40 96 07-25-1961 Warren Hacker Chicago Right Home 6th
41 106 08-04-1961 Camilo Pascual Minnesota Right Home 1st
42 114 08-11-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Left Away 5th
43 115 08-12-1961 Dick Donovan Washington Right Away 4th
44 116 08-13-1961 Bennie Daniels Washington Right Away 4th
45 117 08-13-1961 Marty Kutyna Washington Right Away 1st
46 118 08-15-1961 Juan Pizarro Chicago Left Home 4th
47 119 08-16-1961 Billy Pierce Chicago Left Home 1st
48 119 08-16-1961 Billy Pierce Chicago Left Home 3rd
49 124 08-20-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Right Away 3rd
50 125 08-22-1961 Ken McBride Los Angeles Right Away 6th
51 129 08-26-1961 Jerry Walker Kansas City Right Away 6th
52 135 09-02-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Right Home 6th
53 135 09-02-1961 Hank Aguirre Detroit Left Home 8th
54 140 09-06-1961 Tom Cheney Washington Right Home 4th
55 141 09-07-1961 Dick Stigman Cleveland Left Home 3rd
56 143 09-09-1961 Mudcat Grant Cleveland Right Home 7th
57 151 09-16-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Right Away 3rd
58 152 09-17-1961 Terry Fox Detroit Right Away 12th
59 155 09-20-1961 Milt Pappas Baltimore Right Away 3rd
60 159 09-26-1961 Jack Fisher Baltimore Right Home 3rd
61 163 10-01-1961 Tracy Stallard Boston Right Home 4th
Roger Maris 61 Home Run Season | Research by Baseball Almanac
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Teammates stated Roger Maris' hair literally fell out during the chase for sixty-one and you can read more quotes from and about Maris here on Baseball Almanac.

Click the player to Hear Roger Maris Hit Home Run #61

Roger Maris was walked ninety-four times during the 1961 season and led the American League in runs (one-hundred thirty-two), runs batted in (one-hundred forty-two), and of course home runs (sixty-one).

Did you know that a baseball signed by both Roger Maris and Tracy Stallard sold in a auction (held in 2002) for $3,541.00? Fifteen years later (late 2017), a photograph signed by that same duo sold in an auction for over $35,000!