Reflecting on the Legacy of Roger Maris, The Original "Home Run King"

Roger Maris has held the American League record for most home runs in a season for 61 years. Mar is the first player to break Babe Ruth's record of 60 homeruns. Mark McGwire broke the record in 1998. Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds surpassed the 61-homer mark as well. Aaron Judge tied the mark on Sept. 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Mar's will not be forgotten any time soon.

Roger Maris was born in Hibbing, Minnesota on September 10, 1934. He played football and basketball at high school in North Dakota. After graduating, he chose to play professional baseball for the Cleveland Indians. In four years in the minors, Mar is credited with hitting 78 home runs. Mar made his major-league debut with the Indians in 1957. Two days after his debut, Roger Mari hit his first career home run. The following year, the Kansas City Athletics traded him to the New York Yankees.

Maris was the American League Most Valuable Player in 1960. He also won a Gold Glove Award for his superb fielding. Maris and the Yankees won the 1960 American league title. The Yankees lost the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in game seven. In 1961, the season was extended from 154 to 162 games. There was speculation that someone from the team could break the home run record set by Babe Ruth in 1927.

Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record for most home runs in a season with 61. Mar is a legend in Major League Baseball. Mantle finished the season 54th with 54 home Runs. He suffered a hip injury that forced him to miss the rest of the year. The media gave Mastet preferential coverage. Even then-MLB commissioner Ford Frick suggested Ruth’s record should still stand on its own.

Maris helped the Yankees win the 1961 World Series. He was named MVP twice in his career. Maris struggled with injuries after the 1962 season. The Yankees traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to 1967 season and he helped them win a World series. He hit 33 home runs and 100 RBIs in the season of 1962.

Roger Maris played baseball for 12 years and hit 275 home runs and 850 runs with a .260 batting average. He retired in 1968 and later worked as a beer distributor in Gainesville, Florida. In 1983, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and died in 1985 at the age of 51. Before his passing, Mar is remembered for his charity golf tournament, which raises money for cancer research.