He irritated many with his angry stubbornness and his fierce, combative integrity.
He was traded to the Yankees on December 11, 1959. When he arrived in New York, the Big Apple, the greatest city in the world, the home of arrogance, pride and pomposity, the young man from Hibbing, Minnesota was wearing a sport shirt and blue jeans. He was immediately told to dress properly. The new Yankee was more than a match for New York. "If they don't like how I dress, I'll go back where I came from." The New York sportswriters called him aloof, rude, and a hick.
1960 Most Valuable Player
In his first game as a Yankee, Roger Maris hit two home runs, a double and a single. It was a great start to a fine season. Maris was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1960, batting .283 with 39 home runs and 112 RBIs. He walked 70 times and struck out 65 times, which is a statistic produced by disciplined hitters, not free swingers, but the disciplined hitter would soon hit more home runs in a single season than any free swinger ever had in baseball history.
A New Record Brought Controversy
Roger Maris broke the single season home run record in 1961, besting Babe Ruth’s mark by a single home run, but 1961 American League teams played 162 games, necessitated by the ten team league. When Commissioner Ford Frick, who had been a baseball writer and a friend of Babe Ruth realized that Maris might set a new record, he declared that unless Ruth’s record were broken before the challenger’s 155th game, an asterisk would be used to indicate that added games were necessary to set the record.
Fans Rooted for Mickey
Mickey Mantle, who had been excoriated by the press and fans from the time he joined the Yankees in 1951 until he won the Triple Crown in 1956, also had a chance to beat Ruth. When Maris became a Yankee the fans stopped booing Mantle and got on Maris. Most fans who wanted Ruth’s record to be broken rooted for Mantle. Maris hit his 60th home run in the Yankees' 159th game and broke the record in the last game of the season. It had been an excruciating ordeal that left Maris justifiably bitter. Roger Maris was his own man who had views or opinions that did not fit with society’s values. He irritated many with his angry stubbornness and his fierce, combative integrity.
"They Acted As Though I Was Doing Something Wrong"
"I'm impatient. When I think something isn't right, I want it to be made right then and there. I don't believe in holding things in. When I'm impatient or dissatisfied I say something. You can always do better than you're doing. You have to try all the time." At the 1980 All Star Game, he said, "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." And shortly before his untimely death of lymph cancer in 1985, Maris said, "I always come across as being bitter. I'm not bitter. People were very reluctant to give me any credit. I thought hitting 60 home runs was something. But everyone shied off. Why, I don't know. Maybe I wasn't the chosen one, but I was the one who got the record."
Maris Saved the 1962 World Series
Maris followed his 61 home run season with a decent 1962, batting .256 with 33 home runs and 100 RBIs, but the loyal New York fans booed Maris unmercifully. Not one to to allow outside forces affect him on the field, Maris saved the World Series when he cut off a Willie Mays hit near the right field line at Candlestick Park in San Francisco to hold Matty Alou at third base with the potential tying run. Willie McCovey then lined out to Bobby Richardson to end the game and the World Series. The media and fans didn’t give Maris the credit he deserved but opposing players and teammates were always aware of his excellence.
A Serious Hand Injury
Nineteen sixty three was a terrible season for Maris. He suffered a hand injury sliding into home plate, which limited him to 90 games. He again batted .269, this time with 23 home runs, but 1963 was a difficult year for Maris, as exemplified by an incident in a game against the Twins which is almost never mentioned anymore in our increasingly “politically correct” society. Playing right field in Minnesota, Roger messed up a ground ball single to the outfield. As he returned to the dugout after the Twins were retired, he looked into the crowd and raised the third finger of his right hand. Yankees’ broadcaster Mel Allen, possibly for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words.
The Yankees Traded Roger for Charlie Smith
Nineteen sixty four was Roger’s last good season as a Yankee. He hit .281 with 26 home runs and 71 RBIs. In June, 1965, Maris felt something pop in his right hand while at the plate. He decided to wait until after the season to undergo surgery and appeared in only 46 games. In 1966, Maris and the Yankees had a season that he and they would like to forget and in December, 1966, Roger Maris was traded to the Cardinals for Charlie Smith.
References:
- Roger Maris at Baseball-Reference
- Roger Maris at Wikipedia
- Baseball Library
- Retrosheet
- Roger Maris Statements
