On the other hand, Mantle played his entire career with the Yankees."},"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"#tag:ref","function":"tag"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"These years marked Maris' tenure with the New York Yankees. On the other hand, Mantle played his entire career with the Yankees."},"group":{"wt":"lower-alpha"}},"i":0}}]}"> [lower-alpha 1] They gained prominence during the 1961 season, when Maris and Mantle, batting third and cleanup (fourth) in the Yankee lineup respectively, both challenged Babe Ruth's 34-year-old single-season record of 60 home runs. The home run lead would change hands between the two teammates numerous times throughout the summer and fueled intense scrutiny of the players by the press. Maris eventually broke the record when he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the season, while Mantle hit 54 before he was forced to pull out of the lineup in September because of an abscessed hip.
Maris' record stood for 37 years until it was broken in 1998 by Mark McGwire, who later admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs during much of his career. [3] Maris and Mantle still hold the single-season record for combined home runs by a pair of teammates, with 115. [4] [5]
Mickey Mantle joined the Yankees in 1951. [6] Roger Maris joined the Yankees, becoming Mickey Mantle's teammate in 1960, when the Kansas City Athletics traded Maris with Kent Hadley and Joe DeMaestri in exchange for Marv Throneberry, Norm Siebern, Hank Bauer, and Don Larsen. [7] [8] Mantle played center field, while Maris played right field.
During the 1960 season, Mantle led the American League (AL) with 40 home runs, while Maris finished with 39. [7] Maris led the AL with 112 runs batted in (RBI) and a .581 slugging percentage. He also had a .283 batting average, the highest of his career, and won a Gold Glove Award. [7] Maris won the 1960 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award [9] with 72% of the vote, while Mantle finished runner-up in the vote, placing just behind Maris with 71%. [10]
Near the beginning of the season, New York Yankees manager Ralph Houk decided to switch Mantle and Maris around in the batting order, having Maris bat third and Mantle cleanup instead of vice versa. [11] This is cited as an advantage for Maris, as opposition pitchers were reluctant to pitch around him, as this would result in Mantle coming up to the plate to bat. [11] As a result, pitchers gave Maris better pitches to hit for fear of walking him. [11] At first, the batting order switch appeared to have little effect on Maris, who hit only one home run in April. [7] However, he gained momentum in the home run race in May and June, slugging 11 and 15 home runs, respectively. [7] On the other hand, Mantle started off the season strong, hitting 14 home runs by the end of May and 11 homers in June. [12] At the end of June, it became clear that both M&M Boys were on pace to challenge Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record. [12] However, their chances of breaking Ruth's record were dealt a heavy blow on July 17, when Ford Frick, the Commissioner of Baseball, ruled that a player would have to hit more than 60 home runs in 154 games [lower-alpha 2] in order to break Ruth's record. [11] [12] [13] Frick, who was a good friend of Ruth and served as his ghostwriter, [11] [12] added that a "distinctive mark" would have to be added should the record be broken after 154 games. [12] [13]
With the pressure intensifying over the newfound need to break the record within the time limit, [11] Maris passed Mantle on August 15 for the final time that year and led the home run race for the rest of the season. [12] Maris then became the first player in history to join the 50 home run club by the end of August. [7] At the start of September, the race for the single-season record was still extremely close, with Maris having hit 56 home runs to Mantle's 53. [11] However, Mantle was forced to pull out of the race after succumbing to an abscess in his hip joint [13] caused from an injection that was supposed to cure him of a flu. [11] Though most fans supported Mantle [13] and vociferously rooted against Maris, [14] [15] [16] it was the latter player who was now left to break Ruth's record alone.
Maris had a total of 58 home runs when the Yankees' played their 154th game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles. [11] He homered just once in the game, falling two short of setting a new and recognized single-season home run record. Ironically, Maris hit his 60th home run in fewer plate appearances (684) than Babe Ruth (689). [12] [13] This made Frick's ruling nonsensical, since games played "matter less" than the number of opportunities presented to a batter. [12] On October 1, the final day of the season, only 23,154 people were in attendance at Yankee Stadium to see Maris hit his 61st home run of the season against Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox. [7] Frick's ruling back in July, coupled with the Yankees' reluctance to highlight the event, are cited as reasons for the surprisingly low attendance. [7]
Sal Durante, the man who caught Maris' 61st home run ball, offered to return it to Maris. [7] Maris politely declined and even encouraged Durante to sell the memorabilia in order to earn some money. [7] Durante sold the ball for $5,000 to a restaurateur, who gave the ball to Maris. Maris donated the ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1973. [17]
Mantle returned from injury later that season, thus enabling both M&M Boys to participate in the 1961 World Series. Though Maris and Mantle's batting averages throughout the series were a mere .105 [7] and .167, [18] the Yankees were able to defeat the Cincinnati Reds, [7] 4 games to 1. [18] At the end of the season, Maris won the AL MVP Award for the second consecutive year. The voting points and percentage of votes for the M&M Boys were exactly the same as in 1960, with Maris garnering 202 points to Mantle's 198 points. [10]
Mantle was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974 on his first ballot appearance. [19] On the other hand, Maris never met the 75% threshold required for induction into the Hall and was eliminated from future BBWAA voting in 1988, his 15th and final time on the ballot, where he garnered 43.1% of the vote (the highest vote percentage he received). [20] [21] Nevertheless, the Yankees honored both Mantle and Maris by retiring their numbers and presenting them with plaques that hang in Monument Park. [22] [23]
In 1991, thirty years after Maris hit 61 home runs, commissioner Fay Vincent ruled that there be only one single-season home run record and that any notation beside Maris' record (denoting that he hit 61 home runs in a 162-game season) be eliminated. [24] Maris died six years earlier in 1985. [25] Thus, he never knew the record was his.
During their record-breaking season of 1961, the M&M Boys became the only teammates to join the 50 home run club in the same season, hitting a combined 115 home runs to break the single-season record for home runs by a pair of teammates. [4] [5] This record was previously held by Yankee sluggers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who hit 60 and 47 home runs, respectively, in 1927. [5] In addition, Mantle and Maris combined to record 269 RBI. [5]
Contrary to popular belief, the M&M Boys were actually close friends and no hostility existed between the two of them. [7] [13] [26] The two shared an apartment in Queens with fellow outfielder Bob Cerv during the 1961 season [7] and when Mantle suffered an injury towards the end of the season, he openly rooted for Maris from his hospital bed in the latter's quest to break Ruth's single-season home run record. [13] [26] The stories of a feud developing between the M&M Boys during the 1961 season were inspired due to the media hype surrounding their quest to break Ruth's record. [7]
Mantle and Maris engaged in a business partnership. The two endorsed Mantle–Maris wear, a line of clothing apparel for men and boys. [27] They appeared in Safe at Home! , a movie released in April 1962. [28]
The M&M Boys are viewed as one of the greatest offensive pair of teammates in the history of the game. [5] Furthermore, the combined 115 home runs between the two during the 1961 season is considered a "bona fide untouchable" record. [5] This is due to the fact that the likelihood of two teammates performing exceptionally well in a season is "surprisingly rare." [5]
Roger Maris [1] | Mickey Mantle [2] | Leader | |
---|---|---|---|
Position | Right fielder | Center fielder | |
Position in the lineup | 3 | 4 | Maris up first |
Games played | 161 | 153 | Maris |
At-bats | 590 | 514 | Maris |
Hits | 159 | 163 | Mantle |
Home runs | 61 | 54 | Maris |
Runs batted in | 141 | 128 | Maris, NYY record |
Batting average | .269 | .317 | Mantle |
On-base percentage | .372 | .448 | Mantle, NYY record |
Slugging percentage | .620 | .687 | Mantle, NYY record |
Baseball Hall of Fame | Not elected | Elected | Mantle |
The movie 61* was directed by avid Yankees fan Billy Crystal and released in 2001, the 40th anniversary of Maris' record-breaking season. It recounts both Mantle (portrayed by Thomas Jane) and Maris' (depicted by Barry Pepper) journey during the 1961 season in their quest to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record of 60. [29]
Kevin McReynolds and Carmelo Martínez, starting outfielders for the 1984 San Diego Padres, were dubbed the "M&M Boys" after the Yankees duo. [30] [31] [32] The Padres that season reached the World Series for the first time in the franchise's history, with McReynolds sharing the team lead with 20 home runs and Martinez adding 66 RBIs. [33]
The usage of the nickname has resurfaced and has been utilized by broadcasters, analysts, and the print media to refer to the Minnesota Twins 3 and 4 hitting tandem of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, [34] who won the American League MVP Award in 2009 and 2006, respectively. [9] Mauer's batting prowess (uncharacteristic of a catcher) earned him three batting championships (2006, 2008 and 2009) [35] and four Silver Slugger Awards (2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010), [36] while his stellar defense enabled him to win three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 2008 to 2010. [37] This has been complemented with the power of Morneau, which has earned him a spot at the 2008 Home Run Derby (which he subsequently won) [38] and runner-up in the 2008 American League MVP voting. [39] The success of both Mauer and Morneau has begun to garner comparisons for the two teammates to the old Yankees tandem. However, Morneau has expressed some minor disdain for the term, feeling the comparison is being applied too soon. [40]
Victor Martinez and J. D. Martinez starting for the 2014 Detroit Tigers were dubbed the "M&M Boys" by Tigers broadcaster Rod Allen.[ citation needed ]
Mickey Charles Mantle, nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees, primarily as a center fielder. Mantle is regarded by many as being one of the best players and sluggers of all time. He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player three times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Roger Eugene Maris was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961.
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford, nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. He was a 10-time All-Star and six-time World Series champion. In 1961, he won both the Cy Young Award and World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Ford led the American League (AL) in wins three times and in earned run average twice. He is the Yankees franchise leader in career wins (236), shutouts (45), innings pitched, and games started by a pitcher. Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Elston Gene Howard was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball from 1948 through 1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. A 12-time All-Star, he also played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Boston Red Sox. Howard served on the Yankees' coaching staff from 1969 to 1979.
61* is a 2001 American sports drama television film directed by Billy Crystal and written by Hank Steinberg. It stars Barry Pepper as Roger Maris and Thomas Jane as Mickey Mantle on their quest to break Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record of 60 during the 1961 season of the New York Yankees. The film first aired on HBO on April 28, 2001.
The 1961 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1961 season. The 58th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees (109–53) against the National League (NL) champion Cincinnati Reds (93–61). The Yankees won in five games to earn their 19th championship in 39 seasons. Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford was named the World Series Most Valuable Player, winning two games over 14 scoreless innings.
Robert Henry Cerv was an American professional baseball left fielder. Prior to his professional career, he was a collegiate baseball and basketball player at the University of Nebraska. He was born in Weston, Nebraska, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Héctor Headley López Swainson was a Panamanian professional baseball left fielder and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees from 1955 to 1966. He won two World Series with Yankees in 1961 and 1962. He later became the first black manager at the Triple-A baseball level.
Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was an American professional baseball third baseman — who occasionally played shortstop and second base — in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Athletics (1955–57), New York Yankees (1959–66), and Atlanta Braves (1967–71). Boyer also spent four seasons with the Taiyō Whales of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In his 16-year big league career, Boyer hit 162 home runs, with 654 runs batted in (RBI), and a .242 batting average, in 1,725 games played.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 50 home run club is the group of batters who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. Babe Ruth was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1920. By reaching the milestone, he also became the first player to hit 30 and then 40 home runs in a single season, breaking his own record of 29 from the 1919 season. Ruth subsequently became the first player to reach the 50 home run club on four occasions, repeating the achievement in 1921, 1927, and 1928. He remained the only player to accomplish this until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa matched his feat in 1999 and 2001, respectively. In doing so, they became the only players to have achieved 50 home runs in four consecutive seasons. Barry Bonds hit the most home runs to join the club, collecting 73 in 2001. The most recent player to hit 50 home runs in three seasons is Aaron Judge, who did so in 2024.
The 1951 New York Yankees season was the 49th season for the team. The team finished with a record of 98–56, winning their 18th pennant, finishing five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the New York Giants in 6 games.
The 1956 New York Yankees season was the 54th season for the team. The team finished with a record of 97–57, winning their 22nd pennant, finishing nine games ahead of the Cleveland Indians. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games. The Series featured the first no-hitter in Series play and only World Series perfect game, delivered by the Yankees' Don Larsen in Game 5.
The 1961 New York Yankees season was the 59th season for the team. The team finished with a record of 109–53, eight games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and won their 26th American League pennant. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games. This season was best known for the home run chase between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, with the former beating Babe Ruth's single season record by hitting 61.
The 1962 New York Yankees season was the 60th season for the team. The team finished with a record of 96–66, winning their 27th pennant, finishing 5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the San Francisco Giants in 7 games. It was their 20th World Championship in franchise history, and their last until 1977.
The 1961 Detroit Tigers won 101 games but finished in second place, eight games behind the Yankees. The team's 1961 record tied the 1934 Tigers team record of 101 wins, and only twice in team history have the Tigers won more games: 1968 and 1984.
The 1961 Major League Baseball season was played from April 10 to October 12, 1961. That season saw the New York Yankees defeat the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the World Series. The season is best known for Yankee teammates Roger Maris' and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of Babe Ruth's prestigious 34-year-old single-season home run record of 60. Maris ultimately broke the record when he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the regular season, while Mantle was forced out of the lineup in late September due to a hip infection and finished with 54 home runs.
Aaron James Judge is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). A six-time MLB All-Star, Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017. In 2022, he won the AL Most Valuable Player Award and set the AL record for most home runs in a season with 62, breaking the 61-year-old record held by Roger Maris. Judge stands 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall and weighs 282 pounds (128 kg), making him one of the tallest and largest players in MLB.
[Maris] and Mantle...broke the record for most single-season home runs by a pair of teammates.
Fans rooted against Roger Maris, and they urged Mantle on. But Maris broke the record with 61, while injury and illness halted Mantle's pursuit. He had to settle for 54, a career best and the most ever for a switch-hitter.
Maris was hated, booed, cussed, and generally abused by the press and fans...
[A] wave of sadness remains from 1961, when Maris realized the baseball establishment was rooting for Ruth to hold on to his record or for his friend Mickey Mantle to be the one to break it.