Sept. 26, 1961 - Roger Maris today became the first major league player to hit 60 home runs in a season since Babe Ruth achieved that total in 1927. Maris connected in the third inning of a game that the Yankees took from the Orioles at the Stadium, 3-2, before a crowd of 19,401. Under Commissioner Ford C. Frick's ruling, Maris will not be credited with a tie for the Ruthian record because his No. 60 was not made within the 154-game limit that prevailed in Ruth's day. The Yankees' final game of the regular season, No. 162, is Sunday. Mrs. Claire Ruth, the Babe's 64-year-old widow, was present at the game today and appeared on TV on the Red Barber Show afterward, where she congratulated Maris on his achievement. "This is easily the greatest thrill of my life," said Maris. That was all he could say for a while. Later, he observed that the home-run ball he had hit was on a waist-high curve.
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