Running around the bases with Roger Maris

Roger Maris is one of baseball’s best sluggers.  He is known for breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs in 1927 and replacing it with 61 home runs in 1961.  He was a partner and good friend of Hall of Famer,  Mickey Mantle.  Now, we decode his legacy.

     Childhood in Hibbing

Roger Eugene Maras was born in Hibbing.  (Roger would later change the spelling of his name to Maris so people wouldn’t mispronounce it.) He parents were Rudy Sr. and Anne Maras.  Rudy Sr. loved sports so much he even tried out for the Boston Bruins.

Roger had a brother named Rudy Jr.  They were really close.  Since Rudy Sr. shared his love of sports with his kids, Roger started loving sports, too. Hibbing was the first town to have a indoor hockey rink.  So Roger and Rudy Jr. played ice hockey all year long.

          Draft Dreams

Roger was an amazing baseball player.  He attracted major league scouts.  The Cleveland Indians drafted Roger Maris in 1953.

Start in the Majors          

      Roger Maris started his rookie season in 1955.  He would be kept off the field due to injuries.  He would later be traded to the Yankees.

Days with the Bronx Bombers

Roger Maris would join the Yankees in 1960.  This is where all of Roger’s magic happened.

Roger Maris’s first home run was like any other homer.  Nobody knew that this would be the start of the famous 61 homers in’61.  In 1961, Roger Maris was in a race with teammate Mickey Mantle for Ruth’s record.  If Maris hit a home run then Mantle did.  It was like this for a whole year. Then, the M&M boys found out that they had to break the record in 154 games instead of 162. Maris got so stressed out that he started losing his hair!

When Mantle had 53 home runs and Maris 57, it looked like both would have a chance to break the record. But all of a sudden, Mantle got a hip infection.  Mickey Mantle was out of the race! On the final game of the season,  Roger Maris hit his record breaking 61st home run.

        Days with the Cards

In the winter of 1966, the Yankees traded Roger Maris to the Cardinals.  Roger Maris would play two more seasons with cardinals. On May 9 he would smack a two run homer in seat 9 of row 9.

    Roger Maris has his Day

Roger Maris died on December 10, 1985.  He died due to smoking.  He smoked three packs a day!  That is really gross and unhealthy!  No wonder he died at the age of 51.  His family was really sad.  He had been doing good deeds such as visiting hospitals and donating money.  Even though Roger is gone, his memory remains.

 Why is there a * next to 61* ?

There is a star next to 61 because Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in 154 games and Roger hit 60 home runs after game 154. They changed the number of games so Roger had more opportunities to hit home runs than Ruth.

 

            Bibliography

Here is a good book that can help.

 

Todd, Anne.  Roger Maris. New York:  Chelsea

House Publishers, 2008. Print.