Roger Maris
The reluctant home run king never wanted to be in Babe Ruth's shadow, yet that's exactly where fate placed him in 1961. Maris cranked 61 homers that season to break the most hallowed record in sports, but the asterisk controversy and fan hostility took a toll that lasted the rest of his career.
His two MVP awards tell the real story of his peak value. The 1960 campaign saw him drive in 112 runs while hitting 39 homers for the pennant-winning Yankees. Then came the magical 1961 season that defined his legacy, though he hit just .269 despite the record-breaking power surge.
Maris was far more than a one-year wonder, finishing with 275 career homers across 12 seasons. His Gold Glove defense in right field and clutch October performances helped the Yankees win three World Series titles. The pressure of chasing Ruth may have shortened his prime, but those two transcendent seasons in pinstripes changed baseball forever.
Career · Batting
12 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | CLE | 116 | 358 | 14 | 51 | .235 | .749 | — |
| 1958 | KC1 | 150 | 583 | 28 | 80 | .240 | .725 | — |
| 1959 | KC1 | 122 | 433 | 16 | 72 | .273 | .824 | — |
| 1960 | NYY | 136 | 499 | 39 | 112 | .283 | .952 | — |
| 1961 | NYY | 161 | 590 | 61 | 142 | .269 | .993 | — |
| 1962 | NYY | 157 | 590 | 33 | 100 | .256 | .840 | — |
| 1963 | NYY | 90 | 312 | 23 | 53 | .269 | .887 | — |
| 1964 | NYY | 141 | 513 | 26 | 71 | .281 | .828 | — |
| 1965 | NYY | 46 | 155 | 8 | 27 | .239 | .795 | — |
| 1966 | NYY | 119 | 348 | 13 | 43 | .233 | .689 | — |
| 1967 | STL | 125 | 410 | 9 | 55 | .261 | .751 | — |
| 1968 | STL | 100 | 310 | 5 | 45 | .255 | .681 | — |
| Career | 1463 | 5101 | 275 | 851 | .260 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.