How Mantle Helped Maris Break Babe Ruth's Record in 1961

As both were striving to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961, the media tried their best to paint Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as rivals more than teammates. In fact, it seems that each got along with the other despite the pressure on them both.

In addition, it seems unlikely that Maris would have been able to hit 61 home runs that year if it hadn't been for Mantle. Here's why:

The1961 season changed Maris's life – and major league baseball – forever. His much-chronicled chase of Babe Ruth's 47-year-old home run record brought baseball unprecedented media attention, particularly as Mantle – the media darling in this drama – was pursuing Ruth's record right along with Maris.

A late-season illness felled the Mick and caused him to miss critical late-season games that ultimately cost him any chance of catching Ruth's ghost. Yet Mantle finished the year with 54 home runs.

Despite the mounting media pressure, as well as verbal and even physical abuse from "fans," including death threats, Maris hit home run #61 on the last day of the 1961 season, breaking the unbreakable record and setting one that would stand for 37 years.

But here's the amazing thing about that season, and Mantle's essential role in Roger Maris's accomplishment. During the season – which turned out to be a second straight MVP campaign for Maris – the Yankees' right fielder did not receive even a single intentional walk. In 590 official at-bats, the most prolific home run hitter for that season (or any other season before 1961) was not issued a single free pass to first base. There could be only explanation, and that was that the guy hitting behind Roger Maris was Mickey Mantle.

So there would be little to gain by walking Maris and sending him around the bases on a Mantle home run. That pitching strategy would be one run more "expensive" than giving up a home run to Maris. Maris was consistently allowed to see the kind of pitches he could pull into the right field seats. And Mantle's greatness took on another layer: for that one season at least, Mickey Mantle proved to be just as dangerous in the on-deck circle as he was in the batter's box.