Roger Maris

In 1957 Maris was promoted to the major leagues, although he played only one season with the Indians. He was traded to the Kansas City Athletics during the 1958 season and, in 1960, he was traded to the Yankees. Maris made a mark on the team even before it appeared he would break Ruth's long-standing record. In his first year with the Yankees he hit thirty-nine home runs, was named the American League's Most Valuable Player and received a Gold Glove award.

For most of the 1961 season, Maris ran neck-and-neck with teammate and friend Mickey Mantle for the new home run record. While the media played up stories of a rivalry between the competing Yankees, the "M & Boys" laughed at the hoopla. "When they'd read the morning newspaper, one would say to the other, 'Hey, did you know we were fighting again?'" Maris' wife Pat told People.