"Roger Eugene Maris" was an United States/American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder for four teams, from 1957 through 1968. Maris set a major-league record by hitting 61 home runs during the 1961 Major League Baseball season/1961 season for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. This record was challenged by then baseball commissioner Ford Frick, who said that Maris needed to break the record in 154 games instead of the current schedule of 162 games.

Maris began his professional baseball career in 1953. He reached the major leagues in 1957 playing for the Cleveland Indians. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Athletics during the 1958 season, and to the Yankees after the 1959 season. He finished his 12-year major league career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967 and 1968. Maris was an American League (AL) All-Star from 1959 through 1962, a Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award/Most Valuable Player in 1960 and 1961, and Gold Glove outfielder in 1960.

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I feel that I was a good all-around player, I had good speed, a good arm and could play the outfield.

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Now they talk on the radio about the record set by Ruth, and DiMaggio and Henry Aaron. But they rarely mention mine. Do you know what I have to show for the sixty-one home runs? Nothing, exactly nothing.

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It's like obituaries, when you die they finally give you good reviews.

192

It would have been a helluva lot more fun if I had not hit those sixty-one home runs.

186

I think the most privacy I had was when the game was going on.

170

Maybe I'm not a great man but I damn well want to break the record.

156

I don't know if I want to go to New York. They'll have to pay me a lot more money because I like it here in Kansas City.

155

As a ballplayer, I would be delighted to do it again. As an individual, I doubt if I could possibly go through it again.

120

I don't want to be Babe Ruth. He was a great ballplayer. I'm not trying to replace him. The record is there and damn right I want to break it, but that isn't replacing Babe Ruth.

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