In our list of the Top 100 Right Fielders of All-Time, he ranks 47th, sandwiched between Kirk Gibson and Kiki Cuyler, both of whom were (like Maris) excellent athletes, but not all-time legends. Only 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, hes still alive at 93. Likewise for Maris - Maris circling the bases and the guy emerging from the scramble holding up the ball are the only visible evidence of the homerun. The announcer and the right fielder had no doubt. Holy Cow, he did it! Currently working on 1970 Topps Hockey PSA 9 set. But his size doesn't guarantee anything. He was a very good player with a short-ish career containing two elite seasons (1960 and 1961, when he won the AL MVP both times and broke Babe Ruth's home run record during the latter season). He joined The Times in 2000 as the Mets beat writer. If "incredibly famous for a few short years" is a criterion, then Canseco, Mattingly, Strawberry, Gooden, and Hershiser should all be in. Reynolds was honored with a plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park in '89. I was too young to have see Maris play,but what I have heard an seen,he is not a H O F. If you put Maris in, Juan Gonzalez, Dave Parker and Frank Howard all need to get the H O F ! ", Roger Maris hit his 61st home run exactly 61 years ago today in 1961. He recalled Mariss play in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series, when he cut off PSE | I would think this guy would be in. Mickey and Roger became friends and continued that friendship even after the both retired after the '68 season. https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mickey_Morgan/1169320, 2023 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide. Seems about right for the situation. The 6-foot, 197-pound outfielder belted 39 homers (one behind Mantle's league-leading 40), led the AL with 112 RBI and a.581 slugging percentage, hit a career-high.283 and won his only Gold Glove. At least it still clings to 3 figures, the same seems not to apply about most who have posted here. He lives in Michigan where he writes, runs, and enjoys a good orange soda now and again. Maris had 58 home runs on September 18 when the Yankees came to Baltimore for a four game series. The hit total would be the lowest of all position players who did not play in the negro leagues. If I may point out,the collectors of baseball data are implying that all inductees do not need a special numeric threshold to be inducted. Reynolds pitched a two-hit shutout in Game 1 of the 1949 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 1-0 Yankees win. Thats an interesting idea. To use an analogy in the sportscard world - I bought my most expensive card ever last year which was 3x more than I ever paid for a card. Your cynical speculation on what Judge is accomplishing is just conjecture. Of course I didnt but It would suck to be labeled a thief without any evidence. Not sure without looking it up. Fastball, hit deep to right! There are players in the HOF that didnt have anywhere near the impact on Baseball & the fan excitement that Roger did, I know b/c I was alive. On the other, thats almost all youll be remembered for. If that were possible, then how come nobody attempts to make the case for Munson getting in? Maris played seven years in professional baseball before he wore the Yankee pinstripes. 8 Articles, By That 61 Hrs stood for decades & many other HOF inducted players had the chance to break it but didnt. What I would like to see is retired players vote for induction in to the Hall of Fame. F Craig was a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowl player. If anything, I think it strengthens the Hall by acknowledging the true single-season HR king. be held against him. Maris had three more chances that night to tie the Babe Ruth record. The catcher has a ball. ( COOPERSTOWN, NY) The 1961 baseball season, which found Americans riveted to the great Maris-Mantle home run race, will be celebrated upon its 60th anniversary with the donation of a Roger Maris Yankees jersey from that season. Thanks for visiting the website. "He threw me a pitch outside and I just went with it," Maris would say later. The HOF has really gone downhill and has become the hall of pretty good so Maris should be in. I believe that Josh was referring to Right Field defensive play: Maris arrived a few years after Al.Kaline had already established himself as the American Leagues RightField defensive Gold Glove Champion.They were both all- time greats, defensively, but you would have had to knock out Al Kaline for Roger Maris to win the Gold Glove Award.Maris was very fast, tracked very well and had a great arm. (As a huge Mike Schmidt fan, I often wonder what he would have done if his career was shifted 10-15 years in either direction to take advantage of expansion/stadium design. https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mickey_Morgan/1169320, http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Isnt-Roger-Maris-in-the-Baseball-Hall-of-Fame?&id=6537020. Give him his goddamned plaque. A very valuable player indeed. His best showings came in the 1949 and '50 Fall Classics. "Maz" was inducted mainly due to his eight Gold Gloves and World Series clinching home run in Game 7 of 1960 World Series. But, sportswriters didnt know that in 1960. Maybe I'm the last person on the planet who didn't know this. Yes, clearly they got every fan in the stadium to react at the same time and be in on the scam. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Dan Holmes is the author of three books about baseball, including Ty Cobb: A Biography. Considering how corruption seems to be rampant. Tony Cloninger:In 1966, the Milwaukee pitcher hit not one, but two grand slams in the same game! Maris should be in the Hall of fame. The selection of players for the Hall of Fame isnt always as simple as stats home runs, hits, RBI, victories. @ScoobyDoo2 said: Aaron Judge is 6' 7 and over 280 lbs. Ben Shpigel has covered the Mets for The Times since 2005. Article viewed iconAn icon to mark the viewed articles They shared an apartment with Bob Cerv. What if I'm a professional athlete and I use my nieces phone to bet the under. Silva wrote: Comets are fast! Elroy Face:He went 18-1 out of the bullpen for the 1959 Pirates for a winning percentage of .947, best in history (with at least 10 decisions). Now, nearly 26 years after his death, it is time to make amends and put Roger Maris where he belongs - in the Hall of Fame. Maris hit behind Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek, and he had Mickey Mantle hitting behind him. He went through Hell because no one wanted him to break Ruths record. I thnk Roger should b in the Hall. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Today, no one pitches back-to-back complete games! Before that, Curry covered the Yankees from 1991-1997. At least he was a Yankee. When truck driver Sal Durante sought to give Maris the ball he had caught in the stands, the star declined, insisting that Durante should receive the bounty. Another thing about his 61 homers, seeing as how you criticize the players who broke it because they used steroids: Maris hit 61 in an expansion year with two new teams in the league. 2023 www.desertsun.com. On August 26th in his 128th game Maris hit Number 51. Dwight Evans.. Should Be In The Hall Of Fame. Accomplishments after that date, the Frick ruling read, would be designated by an asterisk. The writers hold grudges against players they dont like for instance look at Del Ennis he had the most RBIs in the decade of the 50e more than Stan Musial, Eddie Matthews,Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle Willie Mays and yet hes not in the HoF. WebRoger Maris was a really good baseball player who has only a small number of Hall of Fame years, including one that included a Hall of Fame accomplishment. That was why he got so many RBI opportunities, and why pitchers challenged him even when runners were on base. He batted third in their lineup. His legacy remains those 61 homers, with or without an infamous asterisk imposed by the commissioner of baseball.*. Roger was MVP in 1960 because Yankees finished 2nd in 1959 with Bauer and Woodling in RF and Roger helped Yankees win AL pennant again. But in 61 had 20 fresh, inexperienced, lesser pitchers to face in expansion teams and across the league. But what makes you think Chet Lemon would know who belongs in the Hall of Fame? Buffet lunch and guest speakers. Mickey was quoted saying "Roger was one of my best friends. As they say in the legal system: I'd rather see a guilty man go free than an innocent man go to prison. Nobody is going to mistake George Kell or Bill Mazeroski for Cal Ripken or Reggie Jackson. Kell and Maz both got in ~ it doesnt tarnish Cal or Reggie in the least. Red Barber knew a thing or two about calling a ball game, although all he said was "there it is". Where have you gone, Red Barrett? I was in my early teens in 61 and remember the home run race well. The Indians had a glut of outfielders in their organization and inexplicably ignored the 69 homers Maris hit in three seasons in their system. Given the number of legitimate reporters covering the race between him and Mantle and the number of fans attending the games, there is no possible way any of it could have been staged. Yes I know Namath is already in. For years I thought that breaking Ruths record all by itself should qualify him for the Hall, but you make a good argument. He was willing to go to any length to ensure that it did not happen to the point of stating Ruth's record woudl stand as it took place in 154 games whereas Maris needed 161 games. Acquired by the Yankees in October 1946, Reynolds flourished in New York, as he was a five-time All-Star and a six-time World Series champion over his eight seasons with the Yanks. The online betting stuff really bothers me too. Now, he doesnt even have that. But claiming he is ANYWHERE near Kaline or Clemente with the glove is just silly. Take out the fact that he was a Yankee, he would not have anyone thinking he belongs in the Hall. Maris for the Hall. Maris made his Major League debut on April 16, 1957, with the Cleveland Indians. Why isn't Roger Maris in the hall of fame? Why isn't Roger Maris in the hall of fame? They traded him to the Athletics, and in two seasons with the As, Maris stood out as a power threat from the left side. With a resume such as his, and the attention brought to Maris by Aaron Judge, has left many fans asking: why is Maris not in the Hall of Fame? And a melee broke out as fans scuffled and scrambled, fighting for the ball and the $5,000 reward. Maris would be a very unusual selection for the Hall of Fame. Nobody, it seemed, wanted him to break Babe Ruth's record. He was a great player for the few seasons he played. 61 in '61 was the number McGwire and Bonds were chasing. When he hit the 61st home run I screamed so loud I had a headache for about a week." Spencer. At times, all three were superstars, and important in baseball history, but while Cuyler was selected to the Hall, hes not among the all-time great outfielders. Yankees All-Time Team >The 100 Greatest Right Fielders of All-Time >The All-Time Player Rankings >20 Greatest Yankees of All-Time >. According to reports, the reason why Roger Maris could not be inducted into the Hall of Fame was that he could not receive the vote threshold from the sixteen Pitching for the old Boston Braves in 1944, he threw a three-hit complete game shutout in 58 pitches. Author When Is A Future Hall Of Fame Manager Not Missed? Lifetime Yankee fan. I have read books and watched movies such as 61* and others like The Mick. setting a record does not warrant induction. Roger Maris: Many still believe his 61 home runs in 1961 is still the single-season home run record. Here are my reasons/rebuttals that Maris does not belong in the Hall of Fame. Maris had three games in which to "officially" break Ruth's record. But, on this day nearly all the reporters covering the story got the report off the wire. I think to speculate on anyone cheating is unfair. I'm sure tons of reporters covered the story. Does he deserve to be in? https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Babe_Ruth. Or my brothers friend. Rogers swing was crafted by Zeus for the right field dimensions of Yankee Stadium, and in his first season in The Bronx, Maris hit 39 home runs and led the league in runs batted in. Ford Fricks name should be Ford Prick.As far as Im concerned he still owns the record at 61. The pitcher has a ball. I'll probably get all 6s. But if you make a group of "elite" players and include Baines and Hunter along with Hederson and Seaver then the definition of greatness begins to lose meaning. Unfortunately for Maris he wasn't the people's choice to break the 34-year-old record. En route to his second MVP award, Maris hit a then-record of 61 home runs while driving 141 RBIs. It was the Yankees versus the Red Sox. He won the two MVPs, which means something, but heck so did Juan Gonzalez. And, just as importantly to me, inducting Maris would be an indirect way to acknowledge that not only did Maris set that record, he holds that record to this day. During the 1961 baseball season, I was a 17 year old enjoying my summer vacation before entering my senior year of high school. Controversy also stemmed from a newly expanded 162-game regular season, eight games longer than the schedule played in 1927 when Ruth hit 60. And he's probably relatively even on fame with Joe Jackson. I wouldn't mind players getting into the HOF for extraordinary accomplishments.. Maris, Mattingly, Munson, Garvey, Dave Parker, Dale Murphy (another back to back MVP winner like Maris was), Keith Hernandez ~ all of them MVP's ~ all of them huge stars in their time. 500 homer's and 3k hits arent the only qualifications certainly. Roger Maris, who had to be drained both physically and emotionally faced 24-year-old Red Sox right-hander Tracy Stallard. I don't know who trained Tiger Woods. The arguments against Maris include his struggles with durability and longevity, with his 1,463 games played being on the very low end for a candidate. Its a blessing and a curse to have a signature accomplishment as an athlete or an artist. It's likely that nobody in baseball history hasn't cheated on this record. Kind of like Tiger Woods. Or that Jose Molina or David Wells knows enough about baseball history to know who should get a plaque? Unfortunately both Roger and Mickey had retired before I was born. I would not be shocked if either/both made it someday from the Veterans committee. Should say North Dakota, sorry about the error. Customer Service. Maybe that doesnt put him over the top, but it deserves more than a brief mention. He was an All-Star in baseball with the Kansas City Royals in 1989 and a Pro Bowl pick with the Raiders in 1990. He saved the 62 World Series with an unspectacular , yet great, play with 2 outs in the 7th game stopping the fast Giants Matty Alou, running on contact from.first base, at 3rd base on a righty hitting Willie Mays double down the right field line which Maris got to on one hop just before it reached the warning track; pivoted, hit 2nd Baseman.Bobby Richardson with a good,tough throw and Richsrdson was able to hold Alou to 3rd Base (Yankee Catcher, Elston Howard said that they would have gotten out Alou by a lot if he had continued to Home Plate. He would say later that Durante's generosity meant more to him than the media pressures and the catcalls from the pro-Ruth and pro-Mantle fans. You judge a player by the impact he had in his time. I felt my IQ drop just by reading the comments in this thread. Similarly, in the AL it's clear that the best performances were by pitchers (six of the top eight in WAR were pitchers), but Burroughs was still a very strange choice. The most beautiful comment in my e-mail came from Altenir Silva, a baseball-savvy writer in Rio de Janeiro. Citing proof and linking to articles I am all for. Or in life, for that matter. Take out the 2-year span in which he hit 100 HR and he averages 17.5 HR per year the rest of his career (which only lasted 12 years total). He would hit two home runs in his first game as a Yankee, finishing the season with 39 home runs, a .283 batting average, and an MVP award. Frank Howard is a left fielder, but I will admit he did play a few years in right. Maris is to Clemente, Kaline, Aaron, and Robinson as Kirk Gibson is to Reggie Jackson. Roger Maris trotted out the historic home run. He also worked at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., and for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.