Instead of being his crowning achievement, the race to 61 was a miserable experience filled with stress and ridicule. That record stood for 37 years. However, you could also argue that average HOF players gained an advantage from specific feats or a brief stint of dominance, where the career numbers don't quite seem to say HOF career. Maris had three more chances that night to tie the Babe Ruth record. Read21 hours ago | The Editorial Board, Article viewed iconAn icon to mark the viewed articles Maris was the MVP that year and also won the award the previous season for the Yankees. Some fans disagreed with my saying Maris does not quite reach the standards of the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his modest batting average (.260), total home runs (275) and seasons (12), and my belief that only 1. A King Without His Crown: Should Roger Maris Have a Plaque in Judge had something like 900 unique cards graded by PSA before he played a major league game. Maris was a two-time MVP saddled with the reputation of a slugger, and those 61 home runs hung around his neck like a bowling ball. His personal hitting coach helped Judge from the beginning of his Yankee career, teaching him a set of unorthodox swing mechanics which potentiate his power. At times, all three were superstars, and important in baseball history, but while Cuyler was selected to the Hall, hes not among the all-time great outfielders. Too young to see Maris in his best years. Stallard got Maris out in his first at bat. Potentially one of the biggest days in baseball history. Coinflation, Previous transactions: Wondercoin, goldman86, dmarks, Type2. In the video the right fielder looks like he's wearing the number 9. My Man Taxerman, a faithful Yankees fan, also reinforced my observation that Maris was a superb right fielder. Maris' first year in pinstripes, in 1960, netted him the first of two consecutive MVP awards. Maris two MVP seasons were part of a six-year stretch (1959-64) in which he produced 198 home runs, 549 RBIs and an .890 OPS (142 OPS+) over 807 games. IMO Munson had a better case than Maris. Why isn't Roger Maris in the hall of fame? 1961 was the same season that Mantle missed time due to the botched steroid injection he received during the season. He recalled Mariss play in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series, when he cut off Maris is to Clemente, Kaline, Aaron, and Robinson as Kirk Gibson is to Reggie Jackson. Dwight Evans and Frank Howard, to name just two. Even if you werent as good as the man who played center field next to you. WebDuring his career Roger Maris never received the credit he deserved. Maybe he's the chosen one. Sadly, and bizarrely, the players considered by the various Committees aren't even close to the best players from their eras who aren't enshrined. And, just as importantly to me, inducting Maris would be an indirect way to acknowledge that not only did Maris set that record, he holds that record to this day. If I may point out,the collectors of baseball data are implying that all inductees do not need a special numeric threshold to be inducted. He was a good right fielder, very strong, and he could run some too. Take out the 2-year span in which he hit 100 HR and he averages 17.5 HR per year the rest of his career (which only lasted 12 years total). I think it's kinda interesting that his mic failed during the all star game. And the boos get louderTwo balls, no strikes on Roger Maris. in fact, it puts me very much in mind of Brady Anderson in the 8 Articles, By Maybe also because he was Native American? On the other, thats almost all youll be remembered for. Ford Frick then decreed that if Maris broke the record it would have an "asterisks" next to it thus tainting it for Maris and demeaned him to the nation. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, David. Roger Maris had light-brown hair, a square jaw, fair-skin, and green eyes. @dallasactuary said: Imagine that? Ken Burns baseball docuseries says that Maris started getting death threats and hate mail and stuff when he got close to the record. Oct. 11, 2022 1:44 pm ET Text New York Yankees Roger Excellent article. It is possible that any player since steroids were invented cheated. He was an All-Star in baseball with the Kansas City Royals in 1989 and a Pro Bowl pick with the Raiders in 1990. F Craig was a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowl player. What if a lot of people had money on Maris not breaking this record and the commissioner just gave it to him for publicity. Rogers swing was crafted by Zeus for the right field dimensions of Yankee Stadium, and in his first season in The Bronx, Maris hit 39 home runs and led the league in runs batted in. Maris is a case that makes one think about what a Hall of Fame ought to be doing. Maris was elected MVP in 1960 because he led the league in RBI. He did more in a few years than Baines, Simmons, and all other recent entries in the hall of good combined. Mazeroski, like Maris, was a.260 career hitter, but hit just 138 home runs in 17 seasons and never finished higher than eighth in the MVP voting. Put them both in. Even Yankee fans failed to embrace him; they instead saw him as a threat to their hero, Mickey Mantle, as well as to the legacy of Ruth. Maybe I'm the last person on the planet who didn't know this. Nobody is throwing or hitting anything though. The underlying current, of course, is the apparent involvement of latter-day sluggers with body-building steroids, which were not used in the day of Henry Aaron, Maris and Ruth. During the 1961 baseball season, I was a 17 year old enjoying my summer vacation before entering my senior year of high school. Ford Fricks name should be Ford Prick.As far as Im concerned he still owns the record at 61. If that were possible, then how come nobody attempts to make the case for Munson getting in? He finished with 586 career steals and still has support to make it to Cooperstown. I believe he needs to be inducted. For a brief period of time, about four seasons, Maris was one of the ten best outfielders in baseball. We could all stipulate that Mick could have beaten it. Read2 hours ago | Michael Doran, Article viewed iconAn icon to mark the viewed articles Then look at Larry Bowa when he retired he had the highest fielding percentage of all shortstops that ever played in MLB and set the record two times for fewest errors by shortstop in a season he also had the most hits by a shortstop in the history of MLB and the writers didnt like him and you guessed it hes not in the HoF. It came down to the final three games of the 1961 season. You can probably assume that means a HR, especially if that was a statement he used frequently. This is the short version. I wouldn't mind players getting into the HOF for extraordinary accomplishments.. Maris, Mattingly, Munson, Garvey, Dave Parker, Dale Murphy (another back to back MVP winner like Maris was), Keith Hernandez ~ all of them MVP's ~ all of them huge stars in their time. 500 homer's and 3k hits arent the only qualifications certainly. Roger Maris trotted out the historic home run. He would have been.better off if he had played for the Red Sox; he hit well at Fenway.Too bad. He played at the same time as Frank Robinson, Henry Aaron, Al Kaline, Roberto Clemente, and Rocky Colavito, all of whom were better players. Only 263 have made it into the Hall of Fame. Kind of like Tiger Woods. @CardGeek said: By ALL accounts over the past 60+ years both Roger Maris and his surviving family were decent, honest, kind, god-fearing people. Sarcasm in text is tough. Last night, Aaron Judge surpassed Roger Maris for both the New York Yankees' single-season home run record as well as the American League home run record. PS: Regarding the Right Field Porch in Yankee Stadium , Roger Maris hit 31 of his 61 home runs on the road in 1961. Red Barrett: An unknown with a pedestrian career record of 69-69 was the most efficient pitcher in history or at least he was for one game. Reporters from all over the country had converged upon Yankee Stadium. I was too young to have see Maris play,but what I have heard an seen,he is not a H O F. If you put Maris in, Juan Gonzalez, Dave Parker and Frank Howard all need to get the H O F ! A Gold Glove recipient in 1960, Maris career is best remembered for hitting 61 home runs in 1961, shattering a single-season home run record previously held by Babe Ruth. The right fielder, if he's in the frame at all, when the ball is hit he is standing about 1 foot from the wall. He WAS deserving. Fans of Roger Maris were quick to respond to my column Sunday, He went through Hell because no one wanted him to break Ruths record. I don't know the math. In 1956, Mickey had hit 52 home runs for the Yankees and there were many, including me who saw him as the man to break Babe Ruth's season record of 60. If Joe Namath is in the Football HOF, then I believe Roger Maris should also be in the baseball HOF. The Indians had a glut of outfielders in their organization and inexplicably ignored the 69 homers Maris hit in three seasons in their system. Great points & I agree with you about the Ford Prick comment! setting a record does not warrant induction. Sixty-one for Maris!". Pretty huge accomplishment. Only 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, hes still alive at 93. Now, nearly 26 years after his death, it is time to make amends and put Roger Maris where he belongs - in the Hall of Fame. He was a star for a short period of time, and ain impactful player, but not anywhere in the same class as the other. I would not be shocked if either/both made it someday from the Veterans committee. Thats true. MANY players elected in the hall did not have the stats or years of modern day electees. Roger Maris had a career batting average of .260, and 275 home runs. Roger Maris has no Hall of Fame case. In his final 2 years, he aided the cardimals to 2 pennants and 1 world series. But claiming he is ANYWHERE near Kaline or Clemente with the glove is just silly. There was as similar spurt in 1969 and a lesser one in 1977. Aaron , Robinson , Clemente and Colavito were all great players but Maris was probably better as an overall defensive player, even than Clemente.Roger Maris, who won two Most Valuable Player Awards, primarily for his offense, was better at fielding, in my opinion than hitting. Read22 hours ago | Allan Ripp, Article viewed iconAn icon to mark the viewed articles Nunez Impresses With Bat, if Not His Glove, Fantasy Focus: Mostly Lesser Known Keeper Targets, Yankees Set to Resume Cano Negotiations, With Sides Still Far Apart, Alderson Delivers More Laughs, but Few Definitive Answers, Some Options for Granderson and the Yankees. I have read alot about baseball and the greats of the game. The pitcher has a ball. I think you might be surprised what can be staged. I'm sure tons of reporters covered the story. Thats an interesting idea. Maris also retired at a very early age (just 33) because of his nagging injuries and the opportunity to earn more money as a businessman. Not only for HR record setter, but MVP, world series champ, etc. It was a great time to be a baseball fan. Controversy also stemmed from a newly expanded 162-game regular season, eight games longer than the schedule played in 1927 when Ruth hit 60. the Angels for the Riverside Press-Enterprise in California and the Mariners for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. If "incredibly famous for a few short years" is a criterion, then Canseco, Mattingly, Strawberry, Gooden, and Hershiser should all be in. That one was in the dirt. Im 46 and never got to see roger or mickey or any others play during that time of baseball. Considering how corruption seems to be rampant. Mickey Mantle was my hero. I mean it's hard to choose him over Rudi or Bando, much less the likes of Jackson or Grich. it is entirely possible that Maris cheated on his way to 61 as it certainly was a statistical anomaly for him. Red Barber knew a thing or two about calling a ball game, although all he said was "there it is". Put them both in. Reynolds pitched 10 dominant innings of one-run ball in Game 2, lifting New York to a 2-1 victory. The number is really blurry. I thnk Roger should b in the Hall. You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling By the way I have always thought of 1961 as the year of the home run. I believe that Josh was referring to Right Field defensive play: Maris arrived a few years after Al.Kaline had already established himself as the American Leagues RightField defensive Gold Glove Champion.They were both all- time greats, defensively, but you would have had to knock out Al Kaline for Roger Maris to win the Gold Glove Award.Maris was very fast, tracked very well and had a great arm. But, Barry Bonds was taught by some of the best baseball players in the world. In the fourth inning, Maris came to bat again. On September 20, a night game, the 154th game of the season the Yankees clinch the American League pennant with a win over the Orioles in Baltimore 4-2. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call This is manifestly not true. Customer Service. Aaron Judge is on pace for 65+. The rest were cheaters and Roger wasnt. Roger's uniform number 9 was retired by the New York Yankees. But his size doesn't guarantee anything. Why Isn't Roger Maris in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Roger was an outstanding outfielder if you remember the 1962 World Series against he made a play in the rightfield corner holding Willie Mays at third to preserve a Yankee World Championship. But I hate it when we make the argument on stats and conjecture. Mickey was quoted saying "Roger was one of my best friends. Born in Jersey City, N.J., Curry graduated from Fordham University. Personally, I regard Maris still to be baseballs season Home Run Leader, excluding Bonds, McGuire and Sosa. But he actually only had five seasons where he qualified for the batting title. But in 61 had 20 fresh, inexperienced, lesser pitchers to face in expansion teams and across the league. I do not believe he belongs in the Hall. also the beat writer for the New Jersey Nets' 1990-1991 season and covered college basketball, college football and wrote for the Metro section. Here are my reasons/rebuttals that Maris does not belong in the Hall of Fame. With a resume such as his, and the attention brought to Maris by Aaron Judge, has left many fans asking: why is Maris not in the Hall of Fame? Roger Maris: Many still believe his 61 home runs in 1961 is still the single-season home run record. Maris would be a very unusual selection for the Hall of Fame. He had a fine 822 OPS, which for that era was very good. He was willing to go to any length to ensure that it did not happen to the point of stating Ruth's record woudl stand as it took place in 154 games whereas Maris needed 161 games. @reelinintheyears said: There is pretty clearly no ball being thrown or hit in this video. Or maybe the book would only have to win the big ones 10% more often than they should. Similarly, in the AL it's clear that the best performances were by pitchers (six of the top eight in WAR were pitchers), but Burroughs was still a very strange choice. The 6-foot, 197-pound outfielder belted 39 homers (one behind Mantle's league-leading 40), led the AL with 112 RBI and a.581 slugging percentage, hit a career-high.283 and won his only Gold Glove. Similarly, at least in my opinion, Hank Aaron remains baseballs all time Home Run leader to this day, regardless of Bud Selig, who was complicit in the era of rampant steroid abuse. He was an MVP the year before he broke the HR record (and the year he broke it too). 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The ball traveled just 360 feet and slammed into box l63D of section 33 into the sixth row of the lower deck in right field. Nevertheless, from 1959 -.1962 his fellow American League players (and coaches, I believe ) chose him as an American League All-Star. To paraphrase: It does no good telling people that Henderson and Seaver were no good. Everything is relative, he led the majors in HR eight times). But agreed with your thought, it would be an interesting thing to consider Barry Bonds seeing Maris in first. Only 19,401 attended the game to see only the second man in baseball history to hit 60 home runs in one season. Readmore, When asked what he has done thus far in the off-season, Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson responded with a joke. I admit I wanted Mickey to break the record, but after he was out of the race I was routing for Roger.
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