Roger Maris

In the final regular season contest of the 1961 season, the New York Yankees hosted the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Roger Maris entered the game one home run shy of breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record of 60 set in 1927. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the slugger from Hibbing, Minnesota put a drive into a Tracy Stallard pitch, sending it well into the right-field seats for number 61. Maris’ single-season record stood until Mark McGwire clubbed 70 homers during his 1998 campaign.