26
Apr
Apr
On this day in 1961, New York Yankees rightfielder Roger Maris hit his first home run of the season, off Detroit Tigers righty Paul Foytack in the fifth inning of a 4-3 Yankee win. Before the season, when an AP reporter asked Maris about the probability of a player breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record, he replied, “Nobody will touch it… Look up the records and you’ll see that it’s a rare year when anybody hits 50 homers, let alone 60.” Maris finished the season with 61 home runs, setting a major league record that would stand until 1998.
