![]() Though most fans supported Mantle and vociferously rooted against Maris, it was the latter player who was now left to break Ruth's record alone. ![]() ![]() However, Mantle was forced to pull out of the race after succumbing to an abscess in his hip joint caused from an injection that was supposed to cure him of a flu. 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. Maris then became the first player in history to join the 50 home run club by the end of August. With the pressure intensifying over the newfound need to break the record within the time limit, Maris passed Mantle on August 15 for the final time that year and led the home run race for the rest of the season. Frick, who was a good friend of Ruth and served as his ghostwriter, added that a "distinctive mark" would have to be added should the record be broken after 154 games. 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 in order to break Ruth's record. 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. On the other hand, Mantle started off the season strong, hitting 14 home runs by the end of May and 11 homers in June. However, he gained momentum in the home run race in May and June, slugging 11 and 15 home runs, respectively. At first, the batting order switch appeared to have little effect on Maris, who hit only one home run in April. As a result, pitchers gave Maris better pitches to hit for fear of walking him. 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. 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. Maris won the 1960 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award with 72% of the vote, while Mantle finished runner-up in the vote, placing just behind Maris with 71%. 283 batting average, the highest of his career, and won a Gold Glove Award. Maris led the AL with 112 runs batted in (RBI) and a. Mantle played center field, while Maris played right field.ĭuring the 1960 season, Mantle led the American League (AL) with 40 home runs, while Maris finished with 39. 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. Mickey Mantle joined the Yankees in 1951. The duo, however, still hold the single-season record for combined home runs by a pair of teammates with 115. McGwire took performance enhancing drugs when he broke the record. Maris' record stood for 37 years until it was broken by Mark McGwire in 1998. 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. 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. 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 " M&M Boys" were the duo of New York Yankees baseball players Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who were teammates from 1960 to 1966. Roger Maris (left) and Mickey Mantle (right) in 1961
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