Maris Breaks Ruth's Home Run Record

Oct 1, 1961. Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record for the most home runs in a season. Maris hit his homer against pitcher Tracy Stal-lard of the Boston Red Sox as the Yankees won, 1–0. Controversy over the record arose because the American League had adopted a 162-game schedule in 1961, and Maris played in 161 games. In 1927, when Ruth set his record, the schedule called for 154 games, and Ruth played in 151. On Sept 8, 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 62nd home run, breaking Maris’s record. On Oct 5, 2001, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants broke McGwire’s record.

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