YouTube Gold: Roger Maris Hits His 61st
And what a chase it was
One of the most iconic moments in American sports history - well, it was more than a moment - was when Yankees Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle dueled in 1961 to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record of 60.
Mantle’s pursuit ended at 59 when he developed a leg infection, but Maris’s continued.
From a 2024 perspective, it’s hard to understand how much pressure Maris was under. He was in New York, where Ruth played, and baseball was truly the National Pastime. Everyone was paying attention - and many people, including Commissioner Ford Frick, did not want Ruth’s record to fall.
He felt so much pressure that he began to lose hair, but he continued to do his job and continued to hit home runs.
He hit his 61st on the last day of the season.
The pursuit took a huge toll on Maris physically and emotionally but he did something enduring. Other people have passed his 61 since, but none of them are as memorable. Maris thus owns an incredibly unique spot in baseball history.