![Roger Maris (Trading Card DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1961-Maris-Roger-398x400.jpg)
July 2, 1961: Yankee bats pummel Senators on way to home run records
Sunday, July 2, 1961, was a muggy day at Yankee Stadium, with…
![Julio Becquer (Trading Card DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Becquer-Julio-MIN-319x400.jpg)
July 4, 1961: Julio Becquer’s sudden shot on the Fourth of July wins it for Twins
Roman candles and bottle rockets lit up the evening sky on the…
![Harmon Killebrew](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HarmonKillebrew.jpg)
July 4, 1961: Harmon Killebrew hits first inside-the-park home run in Twins history
Sports columnist Charles Johnson wrote of the 1961 Twins team:…
![Rocky Colavito (Trading Card DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1961-Colavito-Rocky.jpg)
July 5, 1961: 700 nuns but only 2 runs equal loss for Red Sox
On January 20, 1961, nearly a million people in Washington, D.C.,1…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/KirklandWillie.jpg)
July 9, 1961: Willie Kirkland hits 3 homers, bunts in the ninth inning
Frank Lane was no longer Cleveland’s general manager. He resigned…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/arriba-00060.jpg)
July 11, 1961: Clemente delivers a walk-off win for NL stars in 10th inning
Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente was no stranger to baseball’s…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/111-Pirates-Burgess61.jpg)
August 3, 1961: Pirates’ 24-hit attack produces NL record-tying shutout
“We just got slaughtered,” muttered St. Louis Cardinals skipper…
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August 11, 1961: Braves’ Warren Spahn wins his 300th career game
Warren Spahn joined the elite group of 300-game winners with…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BuzhardtJohn.jpg)
August 20, 1961: Phillies beat Braves to end 23-game losing streak
When the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves played a…
![Rocky Colavito (TRADING CARD DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Colavito-Rocky-DET-360x400.jpg)
August 27, 1961: Rocky Colavito homers four times in Tigers’ doubleheader sweep of Senators
It was hot and humid in Washington when the Detroit Tigers took…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SkowronMoose-Topps.jpg)
September 1, 1961: Skowron’s single launches Yankees on 13-game winning streak
The Setting The baseball world has been captivated this summer…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/BoyerKen.jpg)
September 14, 1961: Ken Boyer’s 11 total bases and 11th-inning homer drive Cards to defeat Cubs
Ken Boyer collected his first career five-hit game in propelling…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Maris-Roger-1961.jpg)
September 20, 1961: Roger Maris hits 59th home run as Yankees clinch pennant
Wednesday, September 20, 1961, offered the last chance for Roger…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HarmonKillebrew.jpg)
September 21, 1961: A farewell with few mourners: Senators lose to Twins in final baseball game at Griffith Stadium
“The Grand Old Dame of 7th and Florida, familiarly known as…
![National Baseball Hall of Fame Library](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/57-Maris-Roger-432.91_Act_60th-homer_NBL-495x400.jpg)
September 26, 1961: Roger Maris clubs 60th home run to tie Babe Ruth
Roger Maris connects for his 60th home run of the season in…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BrosnanJim-Topps.jpg)
September 26, 1961: Cincinnati Reds clinch first NL pennant in 21 years
The 1961 Cincinnati Reds1 were a pre-season pick to finish sixth…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MarisRoger-1961Topps.jpg)
October 1, 1961: Roger Maris surpasses Babe Ruth with 61st home run
On October 1, 1961, ending a quest that had enthralled both the…
![Whitey Ford (THE TOPPS COMPANY)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Ford-Whitey-Topps.jpg)
October 4, 1961: Whitey Ford pitches third consecutive World Series shutout as Yankees win Game 1
By Whitey Ford’s standards, 1960 had been a down year. With…
![Joey Jay (THE TOPPS COMPANY)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Jay-Joey-1961.jpg)
October 5, 1961: Underdog Reds win first World Series game in 21 years
Heading into the 1961 season, the National League pennant race…
![](http://bioproj.sabr.org/bp_ftp/images4/MarisRoger.jpg)
October 7, 1961: Roger Maris’s ninth-inning home run wins Game 3 for Yankees
The 1961 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the New…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/RichardsonBobby.jpg)
October 8, 1961: Bobby Richardson collects three more hits in Yankees’ Game 4 shutout
“There is nothing to compare with it,” said Bobby Richardson…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/TerryRalph-NBHOF.jpg)
October 9, 1961: Yankees blast Reds to capture 19th World Series championship
As the 49-year-old midtown Cincinnati ballpark hosted Game Five…
![Dick Donovan (Trading Card DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1962-Donovan-Dick.jpg)
April 10, 1962: Dick Donovan returns home, blanks Red Sox on Opening Day in Cleveland debut
Four days after the Cleveland Indians’ disappointing 1961 season…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MejiasRoman.jpg)
April 10, 1962: Expansion Colt .45s win first game in franchise history
Houston was awarded a National League expansion franchise as…