Home > Roger Maris

Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, Maris grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and made his Major League Baseball debut in 1957 with the Cleveland IndiansBaseball teams The Cleveland Indians are a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of the American League. Founded 1901 (charter American League member) Formerly known as the Cleveland Blues ( 1901), Broncos o. The next year, he was traded to the Kansas City AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. They are in the Western Division of the American League. The team is often called the A's . Founded 1893, as the Indianapolis, Indiana franchise in the minor Western Leag, whom he represented in the All-Star game in 1959Events January-February January 1 Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. January 1 Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance January 2 CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Bac in spite of missing 45 games to an appendix operation.

Kansas City usually traded its best players to the New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League. The Yankees have won 26 and competed in 39 World Series. These numbers dominate the sport, considering the St, and Maris was no exception, going to New York in a seven-player trade in December 1959.

Although Maris is generally only remembered for his record-breaking 1961 season, in 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, his first season with the Yankees, he led the league in slugging percentage, RBIs and extra base hits and finished second in home runs and total bases, won a gold glove, and won the American LeagueThe American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. It developed from a minor league, the Western League, that aspired to MVP award.

In 1961, Maris found himself chasing Ruth's record along with popular teammate Mickey MantleMickey Charles Mantle ( October 20, 1931 August 13, 1995) was an American baseball player, regarded as one of the best of all time. He played his entire professional career for the New York Yankees. He was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. He was named in honor. Unlike McGwire and Sosa after him, Maris was ostracized. In the middle of the season, Baseball commissioner Ford FrickFord Christopher Frick ( December 19, 1894 April 8, 1978) was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from 1934 to 1951 and as Baseball Commissioner from 1951 to 1965. His most highly criticized decision as co announced that unless Ruth's record was broken in the first 154 games of the season, the new record would be distinguished by an asterisk. Maris hit his 61st on October 1, 1961, the last game of the season. Though there was no asterisk formally entered into the record -- baseball had no official record book, and Frick later acknowledged that there never was official qualification of Maris' accomplishment -- Maris remained bitter. Speaking at the 1980 All-Star game, Maris said of that season, "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, Maris was awarded the 1961 Hickok Belt for the top professional athlete of the year.

In 1962, Maris made his fourth consecutive and final All-Star game appearance. It was his last great season. Injuries slowed him for the next four seasons, most notably in 1965, when he played most of the season with a misdiagnosed broken bone in his hand. The Yankees traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1966 season. The Yankees questioned Maris' courage and Maris left angry.

Maris played two final seasons with the Cardinals, helping them to two pennants in 1967 and 1968 and a World Series victory in 1967 (he hit .385 in the post-season). Gussie Busch, owner of the Cardinals and of Anheuser-Busch, set Maris up with a beer distributorship after he retired.

On the Indians, he wore uniform number 32 in 1958 and 5 in 1959; the Athletics first gave him uniform number 35, but in 1960 he wore number 3. On the Yankees and Cardinals, he wore number 9, which the Yankees have now retired in his honor.

Maris died in December 1985 in Houston, Texas of lymphatic cancer, aged 51. A Roman Catholic, he was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota.

See also: MLB players who have hit 30 or more home runs before the All-Star break