Roger Maris was not a one-season wonder, as it is often forgotten that he won the 1960 AL MVP before his legendary season and helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1967. However, it would be on the strength of that 1961 season where he shocked the entire sporting world with his assault on Babe Ruth’s Home Run record. Please think of the adversity in which Maris accomplished it. He broke the record in an era of no PEDs; he broke it with sportswriters constantly writing about how they didn’t want him to, and he did so when New York fans cheered against him and wanted the more popular Mickey Mantle to be the one to chase down the Bambino. Granted, the media attention was not the same as in this era of ESPN and the internet, but the pressure on the Midwest farm kid had to be unbearable. Maris would break one of the most coveted records in sports despite a nation cheering against him, and though he did not have the most statistically perfect season, it may have been the hardest one ever accrued.
Roger Maris had two great seasons, a couple of good ones, and an average career. He may not have had the career numbers the Hall covets, but what he did in 1961 was Hall of Fame worthy. Maris could very well remain the most immense Hall of Fame debate this side of Rose and Shoeless Joe.
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