The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1961-10-13

crack the mighty 34-year-old record of basebalS
"Sultan of Swat. In fact, Maris is the only player III
major league history to enter September with 30
home runs to his credit.
PRESSURE MOUNTED TO DIZZY HEIGHTS, how
ever. and the home runs became harder for Maris to
produce. Finally game No. l54 arrived. This was
Rogers date with baseball destiny. He had to hit two
to tie and three to break Ruth's record. If you we're
one of the millions to witness his effort that night,
you watched sports drama at its peak,
Maris made a tremendous bid and fell short
but barely. He cracked one home run to become the
second player to hit So homers in l54 games. The
other man TO do it was none other than the great
"Bambino' who did it in 1921.
ROGER HIT NO. go IN THE YANKEES 159th
game and became the only major league player to
ever hit 81 in one season in his final game Of the
campaign. While his name enters the record book
with 81 homers in a l62-game season, Babe Ruth's
record of so still stands because the Babes was
established in a l54-game season.
Hitting 81 home runs in a season even in this
era when hOmerS are SO common and in a league
weakened through expansion still is quite a feat.
especially for a fellow who didn't play for a high
school baseball team.
STANLEY CATHOLIC c SCHOOL in Fargo,
ND, from which Maris was graduated in 1852, didn't
field baseball teams. Roger and his brother, Rudy, did
star as halfbacks on Shanley's football team and power
ed the grid team to one of its best seasons in years.
They also played baseball - for the Fargo Ameri-
can Legion team. In 1850, they led the Legion squad
to the state championship and Roger was named the
teams most valuable player.
Roger was offered a half-dOZen college scholar
ships because of his football ability but turned them
down to try out for the Cleveland Indians and the
Chicago Cubs. The Cubs didn't want him but the
Indians signed him for a SIS, 900 bonus.
He SPENT FOUR EAR IN THE MINOR and
made the Indian club as a highly-touted rookie in 1857
Rog was traded by Frank Lane to Kansas City the next
year. He finished the 1858 season and played the
entire 1859 campaign with the Athletics. His total
home run production in his first three years in the
majors totaled only SO. Injuries, however, ~hampered
him every year.
Maris was traded to New York at the end of the
1859 season. His first year with the Yankees was his
best in the majors, He hit 80 homers, second to
Nantes league-leading 40. had 112 RIBS and recorded
his best average-.283. Credited with sparkling the
Yanks to the title, he won the leagues most Valuable
Player award.
What kind of guy is Maris?
The 6foot, %197pound athlete is a stern-faced
person with piercing green eyes. He's a quiet, intense
guy who keeps to himself, and quite frankly, lacks
color. His pastor, Father John r. Quinn of st. Berna-
dette Parish in Kansas City, says he is a reserve"
person, "a man whom | believe is humble."
DAN DANIEL, A NEW YORK SPORTS writer who
has covered the Yankees since Babe Ruth's day, calls
Maris "a deyout man religiously." Maris served as
meetings chairman when st. Bernadette Parish held
a drive to build a new church two years ago. This
seems TO bear out Dams observation.