Roger Eugene Maris was born September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, Minnesota.
He was raised in North Dakota and graduated from Shanley High School in Fargo.
An outstanding athlete, he set a national record in football, returning
4 kickoffs for touchdowns in one game. He was offered a scholarship
to play football at the University of Oklahoma, but turned it down to
sign a baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians.
Roger spent 4 years playing in the minor leagues before being called up. He was then traded to the Kansas City Athletics and after about 2 years there, was traded to the New York Yankees. He finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
On October 1, 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record. This record stood for 37 years, longer than the Babe had held it.
So why isn't Roger Maris in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Here are some statistics that should prove without a doubt that he deserves to be elected.
He is a 2 time consecutive American Leage Most Valuable player winner. Winning the award in 1960 and 1961. Only 11 players have won consecutive MVP awards and all of the others who are eligible are in the Hall.
His New York Yankee teams won 5 pennants and 2 world series in the 7 years he played for them. The St. Louis Cardinals won 2 pennants and 1 world series in the 2 seasons he played there.
He had a lifetime 5.39 home run percentage. This is better than Joe DiMaggio (5.29), Johnny Bench (5.08) or Yogi Berra (4.74) to name a few.
His lifetime fielding average was .982 and he won a Gold Glove in an era of outstanding outfielders. This is better than Joe DiMaggio (.978), Harmon Killebrew (.976), or Ted Williams (.974).
His lifetime batting average of .260 is better than Harmon Killebrew (.256), and comparable to Reggie Jackson (.262), Johnny Bench (.267) and Al Lopez (.261).
He was selected to play in 7 All Star games during his 12 year career.
The pitchers Maris faced in 1961 were more successful, had lower ERA's, and were pitching in bigger ball parks than those of Ruth.
Why do I care? Roger Maris was my Uncle and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
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since Jan.'99