Roger Maris played professional baseball, manning the outfield for the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals for 12 seasons. He was born September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, Minnesota and christened Roger Eugene Maris.
Maris attended Bishop Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota, then was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent in 1953. Roger made his major league debut on April 16, 1957.
On June 15, 1958: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Dick Tomanek and Preston Ward to the Kansas City Athletics for Woodie Held and Vic Power.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marisro01.shtml
Then on December 11, 1959 he was traded by the Kansas City Athletics along with Joe DeMaestri and Kent Hadley to the New York Yankees for Hank Bauer, [[Don Larsen], Norm Siebern and Marv Throneberry. While playing as a Yankee, he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the season in 1961 to break Hall of Fame Yankee Babe Ruth's record of 60. That record was subsequently broken by Mark McGwire, who hit 70 home runs in 1998, then by Barry Bonds who hit 73 in 2001, even though being walked 177 times.
Finally on December 8, 1966 he was traded by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals forCharley Smith.
Roger Maris retired from Major League Baseball after the 1968 season with a career total of 275 home runs. For many years, Maris lived in Independence, Mo., with his wife, the former Patricia Carvell, and their seven children. After retiring from baseball, he lived in Gainesville, Fla., where he owned a beer distributorship.
He passed away on December 14, 1985 in Houston, Texas at M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute after a two-year bout with cancer and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, in Fargo, North Dakota.
His obituary was printed in The New York Times on December 15, 1985. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/deaths/roger_maris_obituary.shtml
Roger Maris - 1961 Season
During the 1961 season Roger was in a race with teammate Mickey Mantle to break the record of 60 home runs held by Hall of Famer Babe Ruth. His team, the New York Yankees were also in a battle with the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant.
Roger broke the record on the last day of the season by hitting his 61st HR in 161 games. Mickey finished with 54 in 153 games and the Yankees (109 wins) held off the Tigers (101 wins) for first place. They also took the World Series 4 games to 1 over the Cincinnati Reds.
Maris was named Most Valuable Player and selected to the American League All Star team.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marisro01.shtml
He finished the season with 61 Home Runs, 142 RBIs, a .269 Batting Average and 132 Runs Scored, the only time in his career he scored in triple digits.
During the 1961 World Series, Roger hit 1 home run and drove in 2, while hitting for a .105 batting average.
Roger Maris - Featured Video
You can watch Roger Maris in action and hear comments about his baseball career and how he feels personally about his time in the Major Leagues. Starting with his Kansas City days and being traded to New York where he broke Babe Ruths record there are short outtakes of his home runs and feeling about the sport.
References
Fast Facts
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Full Name:
Roger Eugene Maris
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Born:
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Birthplace:
Hibbing, Minnesota
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Died:
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Death Location:
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High School:
Bishop Shanley (Fargo, ND)
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Signed By:
Cleveland Indians
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How Acquired:
Amateur free agent
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Date Acquired:
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Major League Debut:
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Final Game:
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Buried:
