The 1961 season was notable for the race between center fielder
Mickey Mantle and right fielder
Roger Maris to break
Babe Ruth's record of 60
home runs in a season (set in 1927). Maris eventually broke the record, hitting his 61st home run on October 1, the season's final day. During the season, Maris had seven multi-home run games; in a doubleheader against the
Chicago White Sox, he hit four home runs. 1961 was an expansion year, with the
American League increasing from eight to ten teams, the first expansion in the 61-year history of the league. The old schedule of 154 games (seven opponents multiplied by 22 games apiece) was replaced by 162 games (nine opponents multiplied by 18 games apiece) which led to some controversy due to the eight extra games that Maris had to try to hit 61. Ultimately, when Maris broke Ruth's record in game 162, baseball commissioner
Ford Frick instigated "The Asterisk", which designated that Maris had only accomplished the feat in a longer season, and disallowed any reference to him as the record-holder. When commissioner
Fay Vincent removed "The Asterisk" in 1991, Maris was finally given credit as the single-season home run record-holder. However, Maris had died in 1985, never knowing that the record belonged to him. In addition to the individual exploits of Maris and Mantle, the 1961 Yankees hit a major league record 240 home runs. The record stood until 1996 when the
Baltimore Orioles, with the added benefit of the
designated hitter, hit 257 home runs as a team. The Yankees set an MLB record by winning 65 home games during the season, a record that still stands as of 2026.
Roger Maris In 1961, the American League expanded from eight to ten teams, generally watering down the pitching, but leaving the Yankees pretty much intact. Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankee players, including Mantle, Maris,
Yogi Berra,
Elston Howard,
Johnny Blanchard, and
Bill Skowron, under the nickname "
Murderers Row", because they hit a combined 207 home runs that year. The title "Murderers Row", coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the Yankees side of the late 1920s. " together in 1961. As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Babe Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, in which the competition between
Mark McGwire and
Sammy Sosa was given extensive positive
media coverage, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "
M&M Boys" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, according to Yogi Berra. The 1961 home run race between Maris and Mantle was dramatized in the 2001 film
61*, filmed under the direction of
Billy Crystal.
Roger Maris 61 home runs The Yankees played one tie game which was later made up, and hence took 163 games to achieve 162 decisions.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions • May 8, 1961:
Lee Thomas,
Ryne Duren, and
Johnny James was traded by the Yankees to the Los Angeles Angels for Bob Cerv and
Tex Clevenger. • July 1, 1961:
Roy White was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees.
Roster ==Game log==